Don't Let Me Stay Out Late
by psychokid
Summary: Morgan learns something unexpected about Reid, and tries to help him. crack!fic Forgive me for writing this. SLASH and ANGST
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** This idea came from one of those funky idea generator things…please don't take it seriously at all…This is, if I have the terminology correct, a crack!fic…and horrible. Absolutely, positively, horrid. Don't take this too seriously. Please forgive me, I don't know what's wrong with me…

**WARNINGS:** Really, truly, screwed up. OOC. Angst. Bad humor. My bad writing. SLASH SLASH SLASH (eventually). Mentions of drug use and prostitution. Reading this might give you a brain aneurysm. Seriously, you probably shouldn't read this. I'm rating the M just in case. Nothing too bad in this chapter, but I'm not entirely sure about the next one(s).

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"Hey, Reid, want to go out for a drink?" Morgan asked, pulling his jacket on. Reid didn't answer, still staring at his computer screen with a sort of determined focus that Morgan couldn't help but envy. He walked over to Reid's desk, snapping his fingers in front of Reid's face. This managed to get his attention. Reid blinked, and then looked up at Morgan, seeming mildly annoyed.

"What is it?" Reid snapped, frowning as he looked back to his computer screen. Morgan raised his eyebrows, but grinned down at the young genius before restating his proposition.

"Careful, Pretty Boy. You're face might freeze like that," Morgan joked, playfully messing up Reid's hair. Reid grunted in irritation, still staring at his computer.

"Actually, studies have shown-"

"Reid, I was just kidding. Come on, hurry up and finish whatever you're doing on there, I want to go get a beer." Reid let out a long sigh, shaking his head.

"Morgan, I know you're not the brightest crayon in the box, but I think you can manage to get a beer by yourself."

Morgan stared at Reid, dumbfounded. It was not like Reid to insult the intelligence of others, under any circumstances, and it was also very un-Reid-like for him to make a joke, especially a joke like that. Instead of being mad at having his intelligence brought to question, Morgan felt a splash of worry fall over him. Something was terribly wrong if Reid was acting like this.

"Hey, man, is something wrong? You know you can talk to me about it," Morgan said gently. Reid let out a huff that was almost a laugh, and began to log off his computer as he spoke.

"Nothing is wrong, I just have stuff to do, okay? Sorry I snapped, but I'm really not in the mood." Reid then stood, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair, and putting it on over the black sweater-vest and red button-up he was wearing. He paused as he picked up his satchel, tilting is head at Morgan. "Really…I didn't mean that…I'm just a little stressed."

Morgan gave him an understanding smile. "It's okay, kid." Reid returned the smile, and they both walked out together, going their separate ways as Morgan went to his car, and Reid walked towards the street, probably to take the VRE home.

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Morgan didn't think about Reid's odd behavior for another week. They had had a hard case, and Morgan had noticed that the dark circles under Reid's eyes had grown darker, and he'd begun to consume even more coffee, if that were even possible. Also, he looked thinner. Not alarmingly so, but enough to get Morgan's attention. Hoping to get Reid to talk, or at least relax, he walked over to Reid's desk, putting his hand down on the thin shoulder to get Reid's attention.

"Hey kid, you about done?" Morgan asked once Reid had looked up at him. Reid frowned, pursing his lips together.

"Yeah, why?" Reid asked, looking back down at his case file. Morgan watched as Reid scribbled down some more notes, before shutting the file.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to get a beer, or go to a movie. You know, get out, unwind."

Reid's eyebrows quirked up, and he glanced at Morgan before he began to put the things on his desk away. "Actually, I've got stuff to do tonight." Morgan frowned at this, glancing at the clock. Alright, he could understand if Reid was busy after work one Friday night, but two in a row? It was no secret that Reid didn't have much of a social life.

"Really? What are you up to tonight?" Morgan kept his tone friendly. Reid glared before standing up, glancing at the clock.

"Just…uhm…stuff, okay? It's really none of your business…" Reid started to walk away, and Morgan followed him. Instead of going to his car, he began following Reid, ignoring the odd glances his friend kept throwing at him. Once they were most of the way out of the parking lot, Reid swirled around, glaring angrily at Morgan.

"What do you think you are doing?" Reid snapped, folding his arms across his chest. Morgan noted the tensing of his shoulder, and the way he seemed to be using his arms to shield himself. He was definitely hiding something.

"Reid, it is more than obvious that something's wrong, and I'm going to find out what it is, even if I have to follow you home."

Reid's eyes narrowed, and he looked away, staring angrily at his feet. "Nothing's wrong, I just don't feel comfortable with you following me, okay?" Morgan shook his head in negation, taking a few steps closer to Reid, almost invading his personal space.

"Reid, you're a horrible liar, okay? Something's up, and I'm not going to let you let it eat you up. You either talk to me, or I'm going to follow you home, and irritate the hell out of you all weekend, until you tell me what's going on." Reid glanced up at Morgan, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Morgan…I really can't do this right now…maybe we can talk tomorrow, but…I've got somewhere to be, and I'm going to be late…please…can we talk tomorrow?"

"Fine," said Morgan. Reid looked infinitely relieved, but Morgan held up a finger, and continued. "But only if you tell me where you're going." Morgan knew as little as he liked the sound of the 'somewhere' Reid had to be, he couldn't just bully Reid into doing what he wanted. Reid let out a sigh, raking his fingers nervously through his hair.

"My friend's house…well, kind of…I guess we're more acquaintances than friends…I'm helping him write up a syllabus for the college calculus class he teaches."

"Where's this 'friend' live?"

"Morgan, you can't be serious…."

"I am."

"Fine. 1230 East Clarke."

"Alright, you take care. I'm going to be at your apartment tomorrow. Sometime around noon, okay?" Reid nodded, and then turned to go. Morgan watched him go as a strange, nervousness began settling over his stomach. Why was he so worried? He knew part of it was because of how tired and unwell Reid looked, but there was something in Reid's tone of voice that was setting off Morgan's internal 'Reid's-in-some-sort-of-trouble' alarm.

Whatever it was, it would have to wait until tomorrow.

Morgan got up early the next day, despite the fact he didn't have work. He showered, got dressed, fed Clooney, and then pattered around the house for the next few hours. Unable to get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong with Reid, he couldn't wait until noon…at eight he left the house, stopping by a coffee shop. He got himself a coffee, and then ordered one for Reid. On his way to Reid's he stopped by Reid's 'friend's' address, and was not at all surprised that Reid had given the address to a convenience store.

By the time he pulled up to Reid's apartment, it was only nine. He walked up the three flights of stairs to Reid's apartment, carefully carrying his and Reid's coffee. He knocked on the door once, and waited for a minute, and when Reid didn't answer, he knocked a little louder. Reid answered, looking at Morgan like he'd fallen from the sky. A quick glance at him said he was definitely _not_ okay. Besides the messy hair, and the pajamas, he looked far too tired to have spent the night going over a syllabus.

"Morgan….what the hell?" Reid mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He glanced at his watch, and frowned. "It's only nine…what happened to coming around at noon?" He didn't protest any further though, moving aside to let Morgan in. Morgan walked in, and sat on the sofa. Reid followed him, looking unfathomably grumpy as he flopped down on the couch. Morgan held the coffee out, as if it were some sort of peace offering, and Reid took it, taking a long drink.

"Mmmm…thanks," he muttered before taking another drink.

"No problem. You going to tell me why you look like shit?" Morgan asked casually, finishing off the rest of his own coffee, before setting down the empty cup on the coffee table. Reid glared at him out of the corner of his eyes as he took another drink. He took his time swallowing, and then examined the coffee cup for awhile before setting it down on the table.

"Well, I was up late, for one, and you got me up early, instead of coming when you said you would."

"You stayed up late formulating a syllabus for a college class in a convenience store?" Morgan kept the sarcasm out of his voice, mainly to let Reid know that he was worried, and that he wasn't judging him. Reid let out a loud sigh, leaning forward and putting his face in his hands.

"Yes…no. Okay, I gave you the wrong address…I guess that was a bad idea…I just didn't…it would have been really bad if you had…um…shown up…"

Morgan put his arm around Reid's shoulders, still trying to convey his support, desperate to know what was going on. "Listen, kid, whatever it is, you can tell me, but I know you are lying to me."

"You don't…you won't understand. God…you're going to be so mad at me…"

"Reid, man, I care about you. So unless you're hurting yourself-"

"You could say that." Reid's voice was a little higher pitched, and strained, as if he were fighting back tears. Morgan immediately tensed, holding Reid a little tighter. His mind was flying through the possibilities at light speed. Was Reid back on Dilaudid?

"Reid…I'm not going to be mad…please tell me what's going on." Morgan tried not to sound as desperate as he felt, but his voice betrayed him. Reid let out a little sniffle, shaking his head.

"You can't…Morgan…you can't tell anyone…I'll lose my job…I-you can't tell anyone, even if you're mad."

"Sure, kid, you can trust me…just tell me what's going on and we'll get through whatever it is."

Reid took a few deep, steadying breaths, before answering in a small, ashamed voice, "I'm a hooker…"

Wait…what? Morgan felt his mind go blank for a minute. Did Reid just say hooker? Furthermore, did he just use the term hooker in reference to himself? That just didn't make any sense. "Uh…this is a joke, right?" Morgan asked, loosening his grip on Reid. Reid turned his back to Morgan, bringing his hands up to rub at his eyes. Morgan heard a distinct sob, quickly followed by a hoarse, humorless laugh.

"Y-yeah…just a joke, Morgan…b-because I j-joke about that kind of stuff."

"Sorry…it's just…that was the last thing I expected, to be completely honest." Morgan paused, completely unsure of how to deal with the situation. After Reid let out a chocked sob, he instinctively pulled Reid close again, using one hand to rub Reid's back soothingly. "You wanna tell me why?" he asked, his voice resuming its gentle tone.

"I-I don't…I don't know…I shouldn't have told you…I'm sorry…It's just….I need the money. My rent went up, and Bennington's really expensive, and I can't send my mom somewhere else…it's bad enough I hardly ever go to see her…I've tried making money in other ways, but I can't get another normal job, because we're always flying out, unexpectedly, and I've already written a dozen papers on every subject possible…" Reid's voice trailed off into silence, but he was relaxed now, leaning into Morgan's touch.

"How long, kid?"

"Not long…hmmmmm…" he suddenly seemed distracted, humming a low, pleased noise before he continued. "Like….a month."

"How'd this all start?" Morgan asked.

To Be Continued…

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**A/N:** Alright, I'm definitely going to do a second chapter, at least…not sure when I'm putting it up though, I'm kind of busy with my other story and with school work. Please review, and please give me suggestions for what you would like to see in this piece of crack next. If I stick to the crazy idea generator's things, there will probably be a dog attack, Morgan is going to steal something from Reid, Hotch will end up singing something sexy (oh lord…), Reid's going to get in a fist fight…holy crap, what did I get myself into? Seriously, I'm really sorry for writing this fic, but I'm obsessive, and compulsive, so I couldn't help myself. And instead of deleting it after writing it, like I do with most things that are this screwed up, for some reason I want to share this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds or Justin Timberlake.

**A/N:** Okay…hooker!Reid…yeah, that's what this is about. Sorry I didn't really forewarn you last chapter, I wanted it to be a surprise. If you do manage to make it to the end of the chapter without vomiting or having your brain explode as a direct result of the sheer horribleness of it, please **review**, tell me what you think, give suggestions, ect. And sorry it took so long for this chapter, I was having computer problems.

**Warnings:** Really, truly, screwed up. OOC. Angst. Bad humor/writing. Angst. **SLASH** (eventually). **Mentions of drug use, rape and prostitution. I****t's rated M for a reason**. This story really isn't for everyone, so you should read with discretion. Or not at all. It's a really horrible fic, and it makes no sense at all…it will probably only get worse.

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"How'd this all start?" Morgan asked. He didn't want to push Reid too far, but the younger man seemed relaxed now, and hadn't minded the last few questions. However, Reid flinched, almost pulling away from Morgan, and he shook his head. When he spoke his voice was flat, but Morgan could still feel the painful emotions Reid was trying to hide.

"I don't want to talk about it…"

"Oh no. If you don't tell me, I'm going to go crazy thinking about it, and I'm going to be making guesses, and any guesses I make are probably worse than the truth." Morgan kept his tone light, despite the situation. Reid was a prostitute. There were so many different things wrong with that statement, and it tore Morgan apart to think that Reid would let strangers touch and use him for their own sexual gratification. It just wasn't right. He had to know what had brought such a paradoxical thing about.

"I really don't want to talk about it…just forget it, I shouldn't have told you," Reid muttered, his hands dropping to his knees, leaving his head to drop to his chest.

"Well, you did tell me, so now we have to talk about it." Morgan used a stern, almost Hotch-like voice that left no room for argument. Reid tilted his head up slightly to glance at Morgan through his bangs, his eyes wide and red-rimmed, his lips slightly parted.

"You're pissed aren't you?"

"Stop trying to change the subject. How did this start." Morgan pulled Reid's thin form closer, and resumed rubbing soothing circles across his shoulders and back. Reid paused. He seemed to lose himself in his own thoughts for a moment, as if calculating his answer and finding the right way to phrase it. Morgan waited, letting Reid take his time.

"I was…he slipped something into my drink…I don't really remember much, but when I woke up he gave me some money…so I wouldn't…you know….." Reid's voice trailed off into a harsh whisper, and he tensed as his body began to tremble.

"Reid…you realize that that is-"

"I know."

Morgan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm himself. He knew he had to do something, he couldn't let this continue. It only took him a couple of seconds to make his decision over what he was going to do about the situation. "You're moving in with me."

"W-what!?! No, no, no, no, no…I can't…" Reid squirmed, breaking free from Morgan's arms, and scooted over to the opposite side of the couch, staring incredulously at Morgan. The terrified expression Reid wore almost broke Morgan's heart, but his mind was set on what he had to do, and Reid's stubborn disposition wasn't going to stop him.

"So you would rather sell yourself than live with me? Kid, I gotta say, I'm offended." Reid's jaw dropped, and for a moment he could only stare at Morgan, gaping at him like a fish out of water. Finally he swallowed, and took a deep, calming breath.

"That's not…that's not the point…It's just not a very good idea, that's all."

"It'll be fine. If anyone asks, we'll just tell them you're renting the top floor. It's a studio apartment with a separate address, so no one at the Bureau will know you're living with me. But, I'm using it as a shop right now, so you'll have to take the guest bedroom."

"Morgan, I really don't want to-"

"Too bad. You're giving your thirty day notice today. If you need any money for rent, I'll lend you some, and you can pay me back later, but under no circumstances will you be…doing _that _anymore. We've got the day off, so we'll start moving your stuff today. _Don't_ look at me like that, Reid, I'm trying to help you." Reid's pout grew, but he turned his puppy-dog eyes to the floor, picking nervously at the edge of his shirt.

"You don't have to do this…" Reid muttered, his voice cracking. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, swallowing as if he had more to say, but he didn't continue. Morgan shook his head, and stood up, mussing up Reid's hair.

"Yes, I do have to." Morgan hoped Reid would understand _why_ he had to without him actually saying it. Sometimes it was hard to get Reid to understand how much he meant to the team; how much he meant to _Morgan_. And if he was selling himself on the street, he obviously thought a lot less of himself than Morgan had originally thought. However, he would have time to make Reid realize how important he was later. "I'm going to go get some boxes for your stuff; you get your notice ready." Morgan didn't wait for Reid to respond. He left the apartment, and got into his car to go get boxes.

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_Two Weeks Later_

The team quieted as Hotch walked up to the front of the room, stepping onto the raised platform, and standing in front of the microphone. Reid folded his arms across his chest tensely as he watched his boss grab the microphone. He glanced at his other team mates, wondering how they could let Hotch do this. He was more than their boss, he was their friend, and he was in dire need of help. Why wasn't anyone stopping him? The same reason he himself wasn't going to stop him: the chance to see Hotch sing karaoke was worth more than preserving Hotch's dignity.

Morgan had suggested that the team to the karaoke bar, to let off some steam. The last two cases had been hard. Not to mention the stress from moving Reid's things while they weren't out on a case. The two of them had fought every step of the way, throwing insults and accusations, and getting on one another's nerves. Morgan had said quite a few things he regretted, snapping at Reid and calling him rather inappropriate names. Morgan had hoped going out with the team and having a few drink wwould relieve the tension. However, Morgan hadn't expected Hotch to get so drunk, and now, all he could do was watch as Hotch swayed slightly as the music began. Even Garcia was quiet as she watched open-mouthed as the beat to Justin Timberlake's _Sexy Back_ started to play.

When Hotch started singing, everyone sat still and silent, unable to react properly to the shock of watching their boss singing karaoke, and slurring the lyrics as he did so. However, by the time he came off the stage, most of them had come out of their stupor, and had begun to howl with laughter. Reid sat with his mouth shut tightly, his eyes wide. He glanced down at his soda, and then over at the various odd colored alcoholic drinks that his co-workers were drinking.

"Maybe we should head home…before he gets any worse," Reid muttered to Morgan, keeping an eye on Hotch, who was leaning against the bar table, grinning drunkenly at Prentiss and Rossi.

"You really want to miss this?" Morgan asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. Reid nodded and stood up, looking at Morgan expectantly.

"I've seen enough to seriously alter my previously held perceptions of the world. I want to get out of here before the laws of physics change." Morgan laughed at this, but nodded, checking his watch.

"Okay, maybe you're right Pretty Boy. I don't want planets to start falling out of their orbits because Hotch starts ballet dancing, or something like that." Morgan stood, slinging an arm around Reid's shoulders. Reid stumbled slightly, and then led Morgan out, subtly reaching into Morgan's pocket and grabbing his car keys as he did so. Morgan wasn't necessarily drunk, but Reid wasn't going to chance letting him drive. Morgan didn't complain as he was steered into the passenger seat, nor when Reid got into the driver's seat.

"Think they'll all get home alright?" Morgan asked as Reid began to drive.

"Yeah, I made sure Rossi had list of phone numbers for cab drivers, and I asked him to make sure everyone got a ride home. Want to grab something to eat on the way home?"

"No, we'll just eat when we get there."

They remained silent for the rest of the ride, and Morgan felt the tension that had been hanging between them for the last two weeks return. Reid said nothing as he pulled into the driveway, and then stepped out of the car. Morgan let out a sigh of frustration, and then got out, following Reid to his house. Once they had walked inside, Reid frowned, wrinkling his nose.

"Morgan, I think someone broke into your house and used your kitchen while we were out…" Morgan couldn't help but grin at the confused, quizzical expression on Reid's face as he walked towards the kitchen. Morgan folded his arms across his chest, and followed Reid, still grinning. He leaned against the wall once he'd entered the kitchen, watching as Reid examined the kitchen. While they had been out, Morgan had asked his neighbor to get the table ready, and start an oven roast, which was currently still in the oven. Reid examined the kitchen table, and the vase of flowers, his brows knitting together in concentration, and then he stood in front of the oven, staring at it as if it were a bomb.

"Something's in the oven…" Reid muttered while tilting his head from side to side.

"Really?"

"Yeah…and someone set the table."

"I see that." Something must have clicked, because Reid suddenly turned to Morgan, his eyebrows raised.

"You're playing a joke on me, aren't you?"

"I didn't mean it as a joke…maybe a little. But I really wasn't expecting you to be so suspicious of a nice dinner."

"For a moment I considered the possibility of an Unsub who breaks into houses and cooks poisoned dinners, or puts bombs into the homeowner's oven." Reid was fighting to look serious now, but a smile was tugging at his lips, ruining the grim expression he had been trying to maintain. Morgan laughed, and checked the timer on the microwave.

"It's still got a couple minutes…you seriously thought there was a bomb in the oven?"

"We've seen weirder things."

Morgan nodded in agreement. "True." He leaned against the counter again, grinning at Reid. "So, are you going to stop being mad at me?" Reid rolled his eyes, sitting down at the table.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I was never mad at you. Why would I be mad at you? You've...helped me a lot these past few weeks..."

"Yeah, and you've been pissed as hell about it. I didn't know the exact meanings to most of the words you shouted at me last weekend, but I'm pretty sure an 'insensate officious lout' isn't a complement..." Morgan paused as the timer on the microwave began to beep. "Foods done." Reid stood and grabbed the oven mitts, grabbing the roast, while Morgan got the salad out of the fridge. They ate, mostly making small talk. Once the meal was finished, Morgan took out some wine, and they sat at the table across from one another, each taking their time with their drinks. Reid was staring absent-mindedly at the white lilies in the center of the table, a haunted look starting to cloud his features. Morgan was the first to break the silence.

"Everything okay, kid?" Reid's head jerked up. Even though he smiled at Morgan, he didn't look any happier.

"Yeah...I'm fine. Do you know what white lilies symbolize?" Morgan's eyebrows shot up.

"No, I don't."

Reid was quiet for a moment, his smile slipping away. "Purity, and...look I'm sorry I've been so obnoxious and rude to you."

"It's okay..."

"No, it's not okay. You've been so nice to me...way nicer than you should be, and I really don't deserve it, I-" Reid stopped short when Morgan held up his hand, signaling him to stop. He pursed his lips together, looking down at the table. "I don't..." he muttered under his breath, taking a sip of wine. Morgan watched as Reid stared down into his cup, his expression taking up that dark, haunted look again.

"Reid, I don't mind helping you, not one bit, man. And you do deserve help-"

"No I don't!" Reid sounded frustrated now, setting his drink down on the table and running his fingers through his hair in obvious agitation. His hands were trembling, and he couldn't quite bring himself to look Morgan in the eyes. "I knew what I was getting myself into, and I did it anyway."

"You made a mistake..."

"It's more than that, and you know it!" Reid snapped. Morgan slammed his fist down on the table, causing Reid to jump slightly. Seeing the grim, angry expression on Morgan's face made Reid's own anger dissapate. His shoulders hunched, and he looked guiltily at the floor, clasping his hands together in his lap. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to yell at you." He glanced up, and Morgan's jaw was clenched, his fingers so tight around his wine glass Reid was afraid the glass would shatter. Morgan finished off his glass, and then stood, shaking his head.

"I don't see why you have to keep giving me this attitude, Reid. If this is how you react everytime some tries to help you, then I guess I understand why you haven't had a lot of people help you." Reid looked up, feeling a pain in his chest as if he had been punched. He wrapped his arms around himself, as if he could ward off the pain in his chest by holding himself together in one piece. He watched as Morgan rinsed his glass, setting it on the kitchen counter. Morgan put both hands down on the counter, leaning against it and letting his head drop to his chest. He then stood and walked out of the kitchen, heading down to his bedroom. Reid was left in the kitchen, staring blankly at the lilies as Morgan's footsteps faded away down the hallway.

**TBC....**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** I'm definitely going to hell for writing this…Please **review**, tell me what you think, **give suggestions**, ect.

**WARNING, WARNING, WARNING: ANGST SLASH ANGST SLASH THIS CHAPTER IS DEFINITELY RATED M.**

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Reid mumbled sleepily as he was lifted into the air from the chair he had been slouching in. He let out a groan of protest as he felt himself being carried down the hallway. "Doooooonn't…" He felt, rather than heard Morgan let out a slow sigh.

"I'm not going to let you sleep in the kitchen chair." Reid squirmed slightly, pushing at Morgan's chest with his hands in an attempt to make Morgan let him down. Morgan let out another sigh, and before Reid could comprehend the fact that he was falling, he landed heavily on the floor, letting out a yelp of surprise. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and then glared at Morgan groggily as he sat up. Morgan simply folded his arms across his chest, and raised his eyebrows. Reid was annoyed to find Morgan's gaze wasn't in the least bit guilty.

"Why'd you do that?" Reid whined, giving Morgan his best set of sad puppy-dog eyes. Morgan shook his head, and lifted Reid once more, carrying him into the guest room, which currently belonged to Reid. He gently set him on the bed. Reid mumbled under his breath, staring down at the comforter.

"Stop whining, kid. Here, get in bed, and try to get some sleep." Reid crawled under the bed covers hesitantly, glaring at Morgan the entire time. "Don't glare at me, Reid. I tried being nice, and all I got was an attitude." Reid curled up, and was almost instantly asleep. Morgan rubbed his hand over his face, staring down at Reid while he slept for a moment, before going to his own room and going to sleep.

Sunday morning came, and they went about their schedules as usual, except that neither of them spoke to one another. However, by late-afternoon the tension had eased enough that Morgan dared to talk to Reid.

"Hey kid, want to go grab a drink?"

Reid glanced down at the cup of coffee in his hand (it was his day off from work, did he really need caffeine at five pm?). He stared blankly at the coffee in his hand, before looking up at Morgan. "I already have something to drink." Morgan rolled his eyes.

"You know what I meant. Let's get out, you know, grab a beer or something."

"Fine. But let's go somewhere with something other than just _beer_. I hate going to sports bars."

Morgan nodded in agreement, and they called a cab, figuring they would be needing a cab home anyway. Walking into the mostly empty bar, they went up to the counter, Morgan ordering a beer, Reid a glass of wine.

"You're really drinking wine at a bar?" Morgan asked as they walked to a table. Reid shrugged slightly, sitting down.

"It's better than beer," Reid argued, taking a small sip. Morgan couldn't help but roll his eyes. A young man approached them, his shoulders hunched, but a small smile on his face.

"Sorry, are you Dr. Reid?" Reid turned to face the young man.

"Yeah…" The young man's smile grew, and his shoulder's relaxed slightly.

"My names Jeremy, I went to one of your lectures awhile back. You're a real genius." Reid smiled slightly, looking down at his knees, and tucking his hair behind his ear nervously.

"Ummm…yeah, I guess so." Morgan laughed slightly, slapping Reid on the shoulder.

"You 'guess so'?" Morgan chuckled. Reid blushed, still staring at the floor. Morgan glanced at Jeremy before clapping Reid on the shoulder. "I'll be at the bar if you need me, kid." Leaving no room for argument, Morgan stood and walked off to the bar. Jeremy smiled at him as he walked away, and took his seat across from Reid. Morgan walked to the bar, and sat at a stool facing the two of them, so he could keep an eye on Reid. Though slightly jealous of the attention Jeremy was getting, Morgan couldn't help but smile as he watched Reid explaining something to Jeremy excitedly, using his hands to articulate what he was saying.

A man, who could pass for a body-builder, sat next to Morgan, beer in hand. Morgan ignored him, still watching Reid, till the man tapped him on the shoulder. Morgan turned, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" he asked. The man tilted his head towards Reid, smiling slightly.

"I see you got your eyes on that kid." Morgan didn't answer, but a frown edged its way onto his face. The man's smile grew into a devious grin. "Don't bother buying him a drink, or anything. Just give the kid fifty bucks and he'll spread those pretty legs for you." Morgan felt his stomach clench unpleasantly, and he was too shocked to speak or move. The man continued, leaning back in his seat. "You don't even need to take him somewhere private, he's so damn quiet. Doesn't even matter how hard you-" Morgan had finally gained control of his limbs, and used this regained control to grab the large man by the collar of his shirt. Morgan shoved him against the wall, his knuckles white as he gripped the shirt fabric.

It was as if the bar had faded away, the music and background noise suddenly ceasing. All Morgan could hear was the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears, and the man's harsh breathing. "You stay the hell away from him, you hear me?" Morgan didn't wait for a response, he simply let go, shoving the man against the wall once more. The bar seemed to swim back into existence, sound returning to normal. He downed his drink, and then stomped over to where Reid was explaining astrophysics to Jeremy. Not bothering to explain, he simply grabbed Reid by the arm, dragging him out of his seat and out of the bar. Reid tried to pull himself from Morgan's grip, but couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried. Once outside, Morgan let go of his arm, signaling for a cab. Reid stared at him incredulously.

"Morgan, what the hell?!" Morgan didn't answer, anger still boiling inside of him, and he wasn't even sure why he was mad at Reid, but he was. Once a cab pulled up, Morgan got in, pulling Reid with him. Reid, unsure of what was going on, sat down, biting his lip nervously. The cab driver looked at them through his rearview mirror as they buckled up.

"Everything okay?" the driver asked. Reid glanced nervously at Morgan before nodding and giving the driver the address. Although clearly concerned, the driver took them to Morgan's. Once arriving at the house, Morgan got out of the cab, and stormed inside. Reid paid the driver, his hands trembling as he passed him the bills.

"You sure everything's okay, kid?" the driver asked. Reid simply nodded, and turned, walking nervously into the house.

"Morgan?" Reid called out cautiously. He walked into the living room, and found Morgan staring at the window, anger radiating off of him. "Morgan…what the hell is going on?" Before he knew exactly what was happening, Morgan had turned and grabbed him by the shoulders, shoving him against the wall.

"You little whore…" Morgan hissed, his fingers tightening around Reid's shoulders.

"Wh-what? Morgan…"

"I met one of your 'clients'. He told me what a great time you gave him."

Reid felt his face heat up, and for a long time, all he could do was stare blankly at Morgan. All he could feel coming from the older man was anger and _hate. _He was sure he was going to have small, round bruises where Morgan's fingertips were digging into his shoulders.

"Morgan…I don't know what you want me to say…I-you already knew what I…what I did."

"You are a _whore." _Morgan wasn't sure where he had gotten the sudden urge to hurt Reid, but it was there, burning him up. And the stricken, pained look that crossed Reid's face only helped to fuel the flames. "That man was _disgusting_ Reid, and you let him _touch _you. You let him _fuck you._" Morgan's voice was cracking, his whole body shaking.

"I told you, I _was_ a hooker." Reid didn't know why, but the sound of his own, timid, terrified voice frightened him more than anything right now. Since when did he need to be afraid of Morgan? Morgan suddenly turned him around, using one hand to hold Reid's arms behind his back.

"So what? You would just turn a trick for anyone?" Morgan wasn't quite yelling, but Reid couldn't help but flinch at his words. His body went stiff when he felt a Morgan's free hand moving down his body, along the curve of his spine.

"Morgan, please stop, please, I'm sorry…d-don't…"

"You did it for them, why not me?" Reid closed his eyes tight, pressing his cheek against the cold wall, trying to slow his thoughts so he could make sense of the situation. This wasn't Morgan, Morgan wouldn't do this to him…a shudder ran through him as Morgan's hand made its way lower, squeezing slightly. Suddenly both hands were gone. Reid turned around, vaguely aware that he was trembling. Morgan was glaring at him, his eyes dark and angry. Reid felt his fear dissipate, replaced by a cold emptiness. He'd _trusted_ Morgan. Morgan had been his closest friend. Morgan didn't have much time to think before Reid grabbed him, pushing him against the wall so their places were switched. Morgan's anger suddenly vanished, turning into guilt, but Reid was already on his knees, undoing Morgan's zipper.

"Reid, wait-" Suddenly Reid's mouth was around him, and coherent sentences abandoned him. He grabbed Reid's hair, with the sole intent of pulling him off, but then a talented tongue was working him, and all he could do was let his hand ride on top of Reid's bobbing head, getting closer, and closer to his climax. Morgan felt the tension in his body slowly increasing, and couldn't stop the low moans from escaping his lips. Reid's pace increased, and Morgan suddenly fell upon his orgasm, letting out a long groan. He felt Reid swallow, and then pull away. Morgan was still hazy from his orgasm, but already felt his guilt returning with a vengeance. Panting, he forced his eyes open, and looked down at Reid, who was still kneeling in front of him, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Reid stood, and looked Morgan straight in the eye, seemingly unashamed of the tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Was that good enough for you? Or do I need to get down on all fours so you can fuck me?" Reid's voice was oddly steady, turning Morgan's blood into ice water, forcing him to look down, unable to maintain eye contact.

"Reid, I'm so sor-"

"Just answer my question."

"I'm so sorry…."

Reid stood for a moment, but then turned around, heading down the hallway. Morgan stood stock still, his back to the wall. He couldn't quite wrap his brain around what had just happened. It seemed simple enough, on an intellectual level; he'd hurt Reid, and ended up receiving a mind-blowing, guilt-inducing blowjob for his trouble. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it had happened. Zipping up his pants, he walked down the hall, slowly, taking his time. He knew he had to do something, say _something_. But he had no idea what to say. Standing outside Reid's room, he took a deep breath, and then opened the door. The door creaked in protest, and underneath the sound of the door, Morgan could hear Reid's breathing; slow, shuddering breaths. He walked in, catching sight of Reid: a large lump curled up on the bed, under the blankets. When Morgan sat down on the bed, he gently laid his hand on Reid's shoulder. Reid jolted, his entire body tensing. Before Morgan could try to think of what he could say to amend the situation, Reid spoke.

"You must have a short recovery time." Morgan forced himself not to squeeze down on the thin shoulder beneath his fingers in response to the bitter tone Reid used.

"Reid…I'm really sorry this happened…I had no right to say what I said."

"It's not what you said, it's what you _did_." Reid's voice cracked, and his body shook violently. Morgan waited until the tremors had subsided to speak.

"I know…I was wrong…I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay…."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You just wanted what everyone else was getting, right?"

"Damn it, Reid!!! I'm trying to apologize, don't you get that?!" Reid's body began to tremble again, chocked sobs forcing their way from his throat.

"Please…please go away, Morgan…"

Morgan felt himself forced to comply to the soft, whispered request. He stood slowly, hesitant to leave Reid, still determined to apologize, to somehow make things right, even though he couldn't think of a single thing to say or do that could amend the situation. He stood and left, knowing full well that they would have to go to work tomorrow, but not knowing what to expect in terms of their ability to work with one another.

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**A/N: Uh…yeah, I'm definitely going to hell for this horribleness. Please review, tell me which circle of hell you expect me to go to, ect.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** I realize the last chapter was….shocking/disturbing. I apologize. Also, thank you to all of those who reviewed this and put in on your alerts.

Please **review**, **give suggestions**, ect. I don't have a beta, or someone to swap ideas with, so I could really use some input.

**WARNING: Still really screwed up. Not as bad as last chapter. Still full of slashiness, and angst, and bad stuff.**

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After a night of fitful, interrupted sleep, Morgan woke to the sound of his alarm clock screeching. He groaned, and switched the alarm off, sitting up in his bed, a headache already forming. He just _knew_ this day couldn't go well. With the exception of the drive to work, he wouldn't have any time to speak with Reid to sort out what had happened. He showered, and then went into the kitchen, where he found Reid. Reid was sitting at the table, ready to go to work, sipping his coffee while staring at the dying white lilacs Morgan's neighbor had left for their dinner Saturday.

Morgan stood and stared at Reid for a moment, still unsure of how to act around him, even after spending most of the night contemplating what he would say. He shifted slightly, and Reid jumped slightly, tearing his gaze from the dead flowers to look at Morgan. Instead of the pain or bitterness Morgan had expected, he found absolutely _nothing_ in Reid's expression. Morgan looked away, and went about getting his breakfast. Knowing Reid hadn't eaten anything, he put on two eggs and some bacon, full well knowing it wasn't a great peace-offering. However, getting Reid to eat was just as important as making up with him.

As Morgan set down his and Reid's plate, he became aware of Reid watching his every movement with that same blank expression. He sat down, and stared at his food for a moment, trying to ignore the fact that Reid was staring at him, but he finally looked up, meeting Reid's gaze. He knew the lack of visible emotion was Reid's way of hiding an intense storm of pain and hurt, that he didn't want others seeing his emotions, as if it would make him weaker somehow. It was painful for Morgan to see Reid staring at him like that now.

"Look, Reid, I said I was sorry, okay?" Reid nodded, looking down at his plate while pushing his eggs around absent-mindedly before taking a few bites. Morgan expected him to say something, but Reid remained silent as he ate his food. Morgan sighed, and then began with his own breakfast. He finished getting ready, and then the two of them got in the car wordlessly. The tense silence that engulfed them during the drive seemed to slow down time, and Morgan had to check himself while driving every now and then to keep from speeding.

Walking into the bullpen, Reid immediately made a bee-line for the coffee maker to fill his already-empty coffee cup. Morgan sat at his desk, and started in on his paperwork more dutifully than he had in all of his years working at the BAU. He forced himself not to look up as Reid sat down at his desk, giving Prentiss a friendly greeting. It was easy to lose himself in the paperwork, after a little while. He was so deep in concentration, he didn't hear JJ announce that they had a new case, and was only torn from his work when a long, thin finger poked him in the back of the head.

"Earth to Morgan, we have a case." Reid's voice had forced humor, and when Morgan looked up, Reid wasn't smiling. He let out a sigh, and then stood, following Reid to the briefing room.

The next four days seemed like a blur. Had they even solved the case? Morgan knew they had, but he couldn't remember the details. He sat on the jet, his head back and his eyes closed as he listened to music. He heard a small grunt, and tilted his head down to look at Rossi, who was looking at him with a sort of annoyed severity.

"What?" Morgan asked, maybe a little too defensively. Rossi's eyebrows shot up, and he slouched in his seat with his trademark 'we're-going-to-talk-whether-you-like-it-or-not' look.

"You want to tell me why you can't seem to concentrate? Everyone has their off days, and, quite frankly, the last few days have been yours." Well, wasn't that blunt. Typical Rossi. "So what's eating you up?"

"Nothing, man. Just…stuff at home." There was no way he was going to tell Rossi what he'd done to Reid, no matter how guilty he felt about it.

"Family stuff?" Rossi sounded calm, amicable and concerned, but for some, undetermined reason, Morgan felt like he was being _interrogated_.

"No. Not really any of your business."

"Well, you'd better get it sorted out. We need you on this team, but if you can't concentrate…" Rossi simply left it at that, standing up and going to sit next to Hotch. Morgan resisted the urge to bang his head against the table, and waited for the plane to land. However, he soon drifted off to sleep, and when he woke, it was to Prentiss shaking him awake. He jumped slightly, looking around the now empty jet. Prentiss was the only one there now, beside himself. Before she could say anything, Morgan quickly got up, mumbling a quick word of thanks before hurrying out of the jet. He went to his car, and found Reid waiting with his go-bag, looking sleepy.

"Hey, sorry about that, I fell asleep," Morgan mumbled as he unlocked the car doors. Reid yawned loudly in answer.

"I thought you were just listening to music," Reid muttered, throwing his go-bag into the trunk before collapsing in the passenger's seat. Morgan got in, and began to drive home. As the house comes into view, Morgan hears Reid clear his throat loudly.

"Morgan…I'm really sorry about what happened. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Wait, Reid's not supposed to apologize. Morgan pulled in the driveway, unable to respond. In a daze, he silently got out of the car and went in the house. He didn't even bother changing or setting his alarm clock before simply falling into his bed, and drifting off to sleep. It wasn't too much of a surprise when Reid woke him up the next morning, shoving a cup of coffee at him.

Morgan got out of bed, and went through his morning routine in the same daze that had consumed him for the past week. He tried to ignore the way Reid was still staring at him with that blank expression as they got into the car and headed off to work. Paperwork filled the majority of his day, followed by a quick hand-to-hand combat lesson. By the time he got out of the showers and had walked to the bullpen, Reid was demonstrating a card trick to Prentiss and Garcia, most obviously done with all of his work. Once he caught sight of Morgan, he quickly finished with the trick, and then said goodbye to the girls, telling them to have a good weekend. Was it really the weekend? The days had gone by so slowly, yet it seemed impossible to Morgan that it was already Friday. Morgan walked out of the bullpen with Reid, staring at the ground. As they got in the elevator, he looked up, feeling Reid's hand on his shoulder.

"When are you going to start talking to me again?" Reid sounded slightly frustrated, but mostly desperate, and Morgan almost couldn't answer. However, after swallowing thickly, he found his voice.

"None of this is your fault…"

"Yes, it is. I overreacted, and made things worse." Reid lowered his voice as the elevator doors opened, and they walked out into the lobby, and then outside to the parking lot. Morgan rubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head.

"You weren't overreacting, Reid…hell, I wouldn't have blamed you if you had called the police."

"I wasn't going to call the police on you," Reid scoffed, his eyebrows knitting together. Morgan walked up to his car, shoving the key into the lock with a little more force than needed.

"Fuck, kid, why can't you just be mad at me? God knows you should be."

"Well…I'm not mad…maybe a little, but I don't want it to keep affecting our relationship at work." Reid opened the car door and slid into his seat.

"Is that really all you can think about? Work?"

"My job…my job is important to me, okay Morgan. And I know it's important to you, too."

"I shoved you against a wall!"

"Yeah, I remember that."

"How can you be so calm about this!?"

"Why do you insist on yelling at me?" Reid's voice was hushed, and full of hurt.

Morgan gritted his teeth to get himself under control, and then noticing that he hadn't started driving, put the key in the ignition and turned the car on. Reid was silent as Morgan took a few calming breaths, closing his eyes before opening them and backing out of the parking lot.

"You're really pissing me off, Reid." Morgan kept his voice down, his tone calm. He existed the parking lot, and began driving on the main road.

"I'm sorry…" Reid looked, and sounded heart-breakingly defeated as he hunched over in his seat, hugging himself.

"Don't be sorry, Reid. This would be so much easier if you would just get pissed off like a normal person, and hate me. God knows I hate myself." Reid was quiet for a moment, and in the silence, Morgan could swear he could hear the gears in Reid's mind clicking.

"I don't want…could we just pretend nothing happened?"

"Is that what you did before?" Morgan said it before he could stop himself, and immediately regretted it. He was starting to wonder what was wrong with him. Before he could apologize, however, Reid answered without hesitation.

"Yes. Do you really blame me?"

"No…I'm sorry, Reid, I didn't mean to say that…"

"Then you must have some underlying need to hurt me."

"What?! God no…I don't…I would never want to hurt you, man. I care about you; I care about you a lot. You know that, right?"

"Uh, Morgan...You missed the turn…"

"What? Oh, shit…" Morgan let out a sigh, and went around the block, till he was back on track, and then pulling into the driveway. Morgan looks over at Reid, who is staring at his hands in his lap. "Let's go inside," Morgan suggests, getting out of the car. Reid follows him out, walking up to the house with him. Once the door was open, Clooney came bounding to the door, barking excitedly. Reid gave him a quick scratch behind the ear before going into the living room, and simply collapsing onto the couch, throwing an arm over his face. Morgan hung up his jacket, and checked Clooney's food and water dish before going into the living room, lifting Reid's feet from the end of the couch before sitting down, letting Reid's feet rest in his lap.

"You know, Reid, you never answered my question," Morgan said, gently. Reid shifted, moving his arm off of his face to prop himself up on his elbows with a tired, but quizzical expression.

"Hmmm? What quest- Oh…right. Yeah, I know you care…" Reid muttered, looking over the side of the couch at the floor. Morgan let out a sigh, frustrated at how unsure Reid sounded.

"Come on, kid…I know all of this is bugging you. Tell me what I can do to show I care. Tell me how to make this right." Morgan knew he sounded desperate, and he knew he didn't deserve Reid's forgiveness, but he _needed_ it. And the fact that he had purposefully hurt Reid was eating him up, from the inside out with guilt. Reid sat up, wrapping his arms around his midsection while hunching forward.

"It is bugging me. You're…you're the closest friend I've ever had. I don't want you to be mad at me…"

Morgan scooted over to Reid, pulling the young man into his arms and holding him close to his chest. "I'm not mad at you, Pretty Boy, I'm sure you can see that with that big brain of yours." Reid just curled up against him, burying his face in Morgan's chest.

"Then why did you try to hurt me?" Reid whispered harshly, bringing his hands up and curling his fingers in the fabric of Morgan's shirt, burying his face into Morgan's shoulder.

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**TBC....**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** Thank you to all of those who reviewed this and put in on your alerts. Also, thank you to the wonderful tearbos for her wonderful suggestions.

**WARNING: Still really screwed up. Still full of slashiness, and angst, and bad stuff. **

**SLASH ALERT, SLASH ALERT**

**There is some actual slash in this chapter! Beware, for there shall be boy-kissing and some descriptions of sex (no actual sex) Yay, Morgan/Reid time!**

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Morgan couldn't answer that question, since he wasn't entirely sure himself. In truth, he didn't _want_ to hurt Reid, but he had, and he still couldn't reason _why_. Therefore, all he could do was hold Reid, rubbing his back soothingly, despite the fact the contact brought back his guilt, as if simply touching Reid to comfort him was too much of an invasion on Reid's personal space. Reid slowly relaxed, but didn't relinquish his hold on Morgan's shirt. Morgan suddenly realized he was blubbering apologies and words of comfort to Reid, telling him how beautiful and perfect he was, and how he wished he had treated him better. The stream of unconsciously uttered words slowed to a stop once he realized he was talking.

"Feel better?" Reid muttered, pulling back and smiling slightly. Morgan blinked, and stared at him for a minute. He couldn't remember half of what he had said, but he did feel as if he had had a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He took a deep breath before he answered.

"Yeah, I do."

Reid's smile grew, and he buried his face in Morgan's shoulder again, humming contentedly. He spoke softly, his voice muffled by Morgan's shoulder. "Me too." Reid brought his legs up onto the couch, so they were on the other side of Morgan's lap, and then he shifted so he was comfortably curled up against Morgan's chest. For a moment, Morgan simply marveled upon Reid's ability to comfortably arrange all of his long limbs into such a small area. Morgan was brought out of his thoughts when Reid spoke up again, turning his head slightly so his voice was no longer muffled by Morgan's shoulder. "Maybe we should talk about…things, so we don't have another misunderstanding."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Morgan admitted, not at all excited to have this conversation, even though he knew it was for the best. He promised himself that if he ever hurt Reid again, he'd quit the BAU and move to Alaska and begin hunting moose.

"Okay…well, I guess as long as you don't get mad, I'll answer any…any questions you have." Reid was unconsciously twisting at the fabric of Morgan's shirt, his fingers twitching nervously, keeping his head down. Morgan ran a hand over Reid's hair, taking a deep breath.

"I guess the first thing I want to know is if you're even attracted to men." The thought hadn't even occurred to him until after the night at the bar.

Reid simply nodded, tensing slightly, as if afraid of Morgan's reaction. Morgan just hugged him tighter, hoping to give him a sense of acceptance.

"Was it just men…or women too?"

"Just men," Reid muttered.

"Okay, then what…how far did things go?"

Reid moved away. He shifted nervously, tucking his hair behind his hair and biting his lip before pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "I-I pretty much let them do whatever they wanted, as long as they wore protection, and didn't mark me up where people would see…It usually wasn't too…too rough."

"You let them hurt you?" Morgan tried to keep calm, but his tone was sharper than he'd meant it to be, and he could tell from the way Reid's shoulders hunched that he'd come off slightly too aggressive.

"Y-yeah…sometimes. I got used to it after awhile..."

"Is that why you didn't call the cops on me?" Morgan asked, more gently now. Reid shook his head, unconsciously moving his fingertips to his own forearms. Morgan felt guilt settle heavily in his stomach, making him cringe slightly. Morgan turned to Reid, and gently pulled back his shirt sleeve, revealing dark, week-old bruises. As the fabric was pushed over the purpled skin, Reid flinched slightly, but settled down once Morgan had pushed his sleeve all the way to his elbow. Morgan must have stared for too long, because Reid took a slow, shuddering breath, pulling his sleeves back down. He then began talking, looking at the ground as he went into 'lecture mode'.

"After thinking about it a little, I figured you had just had what is referred to as an 'amygdala hijack'. You were presented with material that was emotionally disturbing or threatening, so your amygdala probably took over your neocortex, which is the thinking center of the brain, which would have made-"

"Whoa, Reid, I get it...but that isn't an excuse for what I did."

"Well…no, but it is a way to logically explain your actions…but I think we're digressing. I'm sure you still have more questions." Reid spoke slowly, staring vacantly at his knees.

Morgan nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, I do…I just…I don't know how bad they hurt you." Reid frowned slightly, looking at Morgan and biting his lips together while he thought before answering.

"I never ended up in the hospital. At worst they would tie me up and hit me, but it usually wasn't…usually it was just intercourse." Morgan noticed that Reid had started shaking, his arms going tighter around his knees. Morgan knew it was hard for Reid to talk about these things, but he still had questions, and he wanted to get this conversation done with, as soon as possible.

"Reid, had you been sexually active, before all of this?" Reid let out a funny laugh, looking over at Morgan.

"'Active' is not the word I would use. I hadn't…" Reid blushed, looking away again before continuing in a shaky voice. "I hadn't actually been…penetrated, but I had had sexual experiences before." There was a moment of tense silence before Morgan stood up.

"I think…I think I've heard enough. It's kind of late, so I'll make a quick supper, okay kid?" Reid nodded, so Morgan went into the kitchen, and cooked some TV dinners before bringing them out to the living room. After they had eaten, Reid went to take a shower, leaving Morgan to wander around the house, too keyed up to sleep. He ended up leaning against the outside of the bathroom door, listening to the sound of running water mixing with soft sniffles. Hearing the water turn off, Morgan quickly walked away from the door, going into his bedroom, taking off his shirt, and changing into a pair of sweatpants before lying down in bed, staring at the ceiling.

It was only a couple minutes later that he heard soft footsteps in the hall way, followed by Reid appearing in his doorway, wearing a pair of blue plaid pajama pants, and a mismatched, orange button down pajama top that was a couple sizes too big for him. Morgan sat up, and noticed in the dim light coming in from his window that Reid's eyes were red and puffy.

"Everything okay, kid?" Morgan asked gently. Reid looked down at the floor, twisting his hands together nervously for a few moments before answering in a small, choked voice.

"No."

Morgan felt his heart twist painfully. He scooted over on the bed, pulling the covers back. "Why don't you come over here and talk to me about it," he suggested. Reid hesitated for a moment before walking forward, crawling on the bed next to Morgan, lying down so he was facing him. Gently, Morgan draped the covers over Reid's shoulder, and then pulled him close, stroking his still-damp hair. Reid whimpered slightly, closing his eyes tightly and biting his lip before letting out a small dry sob, trying to hide his face in the pillow.

"Come on Spencer, talk to me…" Morgan whispered, cupping Reid's chin in his hand, and tilting his head upward. Reid opened his eyes and looked at Morgan, swallowing thickly.

"I didn't want to do it, Morgan…I didn't want to do any of it…and now I just can't stop thinking about all the things that happened…please…I just want to forget." The sound of Reid's voice, hoarse and broken, tore at Morgan's heart in all of the wrong places. Morgan pulled Reid's too-thin body close, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Reid…I'm sorry you felt like you had to go through that alone…I wish I would've known sooner, I wish I could've stopped it all, Pretty Boy…but it's over now, and I won't ever let anyone else hurt you, not even me, I fucking swear, Spencer, I won't let anyone hurt you again, not if I can help it." Morgan was babbling again, but he didn't care, all he wanted to do was help. Reid buried his face in Morgan's chest as Morgan talked, pressing his cheek against Morgan's skin. After a little while, Morgan felt warm tears falling onto his skin, and he stopped talking, simply running his hand over Reid's hair soothingly. When Reid spoke, he could feel Reid's lips moving against his chest.

"Thank you for saying that," Reid whispered, his voice so quiet Morgan almost didn't hear him.

"I mean it, Reid, every word." Morgan felt his heart stop when Reid's tongue flicked out to wet his lips, a whisper against his skin.

"What about what you said earlier, in the living room?" Reid sounded hesitant to ask, and Morgan couldn't really remember everything he had said earlier, but he didn't hesitate before answering.

"I meant it."

Reid pulled back, smiling slightly, his face blotchy, and his eyes still bright with tears, but he looked genuinely happy. "I don't believe you, but it is still sweet that you said all that." Morgan frowned, trying to remember exactly what he had said that Reid would doubt, but Reid shook his head slightly, still smiling. "You don't remember a word of what you said, do you?" Reid asked, sounding amused.

"I remember….parts."

Reid chuckled, and then closed his eyes, making a sleepy sound. "Okay," he muttered, his body relaxing.

"Hey, wait a minute! What did I say?" Morgan asked, praying he hadn't said anything too revealing.

"Shhh…I'm sleeping," Reid muttered, rolling over so his back was to Morgan. Letting out a frustrated sight, Morgan wrapped an arm around Reid's waist, pulling him closer so his chest was against Reid's back.

"No, you're not sleeping. Tell me what I said."

"Mmmnnn…You told me I'm the most beautiful man on earth, for one. Now be quiet, I'm trying to get to sleep before you kick me out of your bed."

Morgan felt his face heat up, and he started to remove his arm from Reid's waist, but then Reid grabbed his wrist gently, and pulled Morgan's arm back around his waist before asking, in a hushed voice, "Did you mean it?"

"I thought you wanted me to be quiet," Morgan murmured, nuzzling Reid's damp hair at the base of his neck. Reid went momentarily stiff before relaxing again.

"I changed my mind. I want to know if you meant it, and…that other stuff you said."

"What else did I say?"

"You said you loved me, that you didn't want anyone else to ever touch me."

Morgan sucked in a breath. God, had he really said that? For a moment he considered lying to Reid, and telling him it had been some sort of an 'amygdala hijack' or whatever the hell that was, he didn't know. After a moment, however, he nodded against Reid's neck.

"Yeah, I meant it."

Reid shifted, and Morgan loosened his hold around Reid's waist, which had tightened with his admission. Reid rolled over to face him again, looking curious.

"Are you lying to me?" Reid whispered, sounding confused.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Morgan asked. Reid bit his lip, looking away.

"I can think of a couple reasons," Reid muttered, refusing to look Morgan in the eye.

"Hey, I'm not asking for anything, really I'm not…it's just the truth, Pretty Boy. I care about you, and I love you, and I'm so, so sorry that I hurt you, but I'll never hurt you again, I promise." Morgan spoke slowly, running his fingers through Reid's hair, over the side of his face, and then down along the edge of his jaw. Reid closed his eyes, and was silent, except for the slow, shuddering breaths he took. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes again.

"Okay…" Reid said shakily.

"Okay, what?" Morgan asked gently, trying not to sound as nervous as he was, even though he fully expected Reid to reject him. Reid simply closed his eyes again, but this time he leaned towards Morgan, giving him a quick peck on the lips before pulling back, opening his eyes. Morgan felt as if the simple contact had sent a current of electricity throughout his entire body, leaving him feeling warm, and tingly. He was staring wide-eyed at Reid, and Reid suddenly blushed, and looked away.

"I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do now…" Reid admitted softly.

"Now, you go to sleep. We'll talk about things more in the morning," Morgan murmured affectionately.

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**TBC….**

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a little mushy, especially the ending. I'm really sleepy, it's late, and my brain is full of fluffiness. Maybe more angst in later chapters. Now…sleep. Please review, tell me what you think, and what you would like to see later on. I'm going to bed now.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** Thank you to all of those who reviewed this and put in on your alerts, your support is much appreciated. I went over the last chapter…and yeah '_warm and tingly_'…I was really tired; I wasn't really paying attention to what I was writing.

Also, sorry this chapter took so long, and is short, and sucks, I'm suffering from writer's block. And sorry if any of the geography stuff is wrong, I used google-maps, but I still might've messed up. The names of the victim's were just made-up off the top of my head. The statistics were taken from various cites I found on google.

**WARNING: Still really screwed up. Still full of slashiness, and angst, and bad stuff. **

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Morgan woke the next morning, tangled in Reid's long limbs with Reid's head on his shoulder. The blankets were twisted and tangled around them, most of them pulled up around Reid's shoulders and torso, leaving Morgan with one solitary blanket, and Reid's feet uncovered. He briefly considered extracting himself from Reid's embrace and the entangling sheets, but decided against it, a strange urge to be there when Reid woke up possessing him.

Running his fingers through Reid's tousled hair, Morgan took his time studying Reid's face, so relaxed and innocent in the early morning light, his lips slightly parted as he took in slow, steady breaths. His eyes eventually fluttered open, and he blinked several times before his eyes adjusted. Morgan continued to stare, finding Reid's slow climb to consciousness just as beautiful as his slumber. After several moments of staring sleepily up at Morgan, Reid finally seemed to realize he was being stared at, and he looked away shyly.

"Do we have work today?" Reid asked awkwardly, skittishly moving away, untangling his limbs from Morgan, and taking his head off of Morgan's chest. He was about to get out of bed, but seemed to lose motivation to do so, curling up once there was a little space between him and Morgan, blankets tangled even more around his slim body.

"No, not unless Hotch calls us in." Morgan wanted to reach out and pull Reid back to him, but knew better than to push Reid. Morgan fights off a grin as Reid begins to try to untangle himself from the mess of blankets, his sleepy attempts doing little except making the matter worse.

"Morgan, I'm stuck…" Reid complained, stilling his movements and closing his eyes. Morgan couldn't help but laugh, but he stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, and began to disentangle Reid from the blankets. Reid kept his eyes closed, making soft sleepy noises and staying limp as Morgan moved him around. Once freed, Reid simply laid there, a slight smile on his lips. "You should make coffee," he suggested.

"Oh, I see how it is," Morgan chuckled. Unable to resist the urge, Morgan straightened Reid's horrendous orange pajama top, and then leaned down to kiss Reid on the forehead. "Okay, I'll go get some coffee. Try not to fall back asleep." Reid murmured unintelligibly in response before yawning. Morgan left the bed room, went to the bathroom, and then fed and watered Clooney before going into the kitchen. He started the coffee maker, and then sat to wait for the coffee to brew. As he sat, he began to think, replaying the previous night over in his head. He still felt guilty for what he'd done to Reid, and he honestly couldn't understand why Reid would forgive him like that. Morgan wondered if Reid was simply desperate for friendship and companionship; desperate for someone to comfort him after what he had been through.

Morgan was brought out of his inner thoughts when the coffee maker beeped, signaling the coffee was done. Pouring it into two mugs, he left one black, and mixed inordinate amounts of creamer and sugar in the other. He went back to the bedroom, and sure enough, found Reid sprawled out on his stomach, fast asleep. Chuckling, Morgan set Reid's coffee down on the bedside table, and then sat down at the bottom of the bed. Reid rolled over, and sat up, rubbing his eyes with one hand while blindly reaching out for his coffee with the other. Sitting with his back against the headboard, Reid began to drink his coffee, looking at Morgan over the rim of his cup, before closing his eyes to enjoy his coffee.

They finished their coffee in silence, and then Reid took both of the empty mugs to the kitchen, leaving Morgan alone in the bedroom for several minutes. He heard water running for a little while, and then the bathroom door open, followed by the sound of Clooney barking insistently at Reid. The barking soon stopped, and Reid came back into the bedroom, dressed in the usual button down, sweater-vest and slacks. Reid flopped down on the bed, lying across it so his feet were hanging off the side near the pillows, his head on the other side, his face buried in a pillow.

"Reid, you _just _got out of bed," Morgan said, laughing as he shook his head.

"We don't have work today, so I see no good reason to leave bed for superfluous amounts of time," Reid mumbled into the pillow.

"You're the only person who can make being lazy sound reasonable."

Reid just huffed a laugh, and then yawning loudly before burying his face back into the pillow. "It's been a long week; I vote that, barring the possibility of a case, we relax all weekend."

"I second that. So, do tell me, what does genius Doctor Reid do to relax?" Morgan asked, grinning slightly as he stood and walked over to Reid's feet.

"Sleep, read, and drink coffee," Reid muttered into the pillow. Morgan laughed slightly, and knelt down next to the bed. Reid twitched, and then rolled over onto his back, almost kicking Morgan in the face. He frowned slightly, looking down at Morgan with a quizzical expression. "What are you doing?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I'm going to help you relax," Morgan answered. He gently took up one of Reid's feet, and began to massage it slowly. Reid seemed surprised at first, but then smiled and relaxed onto his back as Morgan continued the massage. Morgan was only half a minute into the massage, and quite pleased with the way he had Reid whimpering and softly moaning his approval, when Reid's cell went off. Reid made an angry noise, digging into his pockets. Morgan laughed, slightly amused that Reid had been too tired to get out of bed, but not too tired to grab his cell. He continued rubbing Reid's feet as Reid listened quietly to the other person on the line before replying and hanging up.

"It was Hotch, we have a case," Reid groaned. "He said not to bring our go-bags, so it must be local." Just then, Morgan's phone rang. Reluctantly, he answered it, thanking Hotch once he'd finished.

"Alright, Pretty Boy, time to go to work."

"Nooooooo…" Reid groaned, staying on the bed wriggling his toes at Morgan. It was so uncharacteristic of how he would normally act that Morgan couldn't help but laugh. "It's not funny..." Reid muttered, sitting up, and getting off the bed. Reid left the room, grumbling under his breath. Morgan finished getting ready, changing into clean clothes, and putting on socks and shoes. Once he was ready, he went into the kitchen and found Reid with a second cup of coffee, and some toast. Reid handed him a piece of toast, and then they walked out the door to head to work.

Once they stepped off the elevator, they headed straight to the conference room, and found Rossi, Hotch and JJ. Morgan and Reid both sat down at the table, just as Prentiss came in. JJ began to pass out the case files, just as Hotch stood up and walked to the front of the room to give the briefing.

"I'm sorry for bringing you in on your day off, but we need to get started on this case as soon as possible." There was the sound of pages rustling as the team went through the files. "There have been seven reported rape victims in the last two months. Most taken from bars around Quantico, along the Potomac River, or nearby. I wouldn't have called you in, but four of the victim's had been reported missing within the last week, and last night a burial site was found at Fuller Heights Park, with three bodies. Preliminary reports from the cops who unearthed the bodies suggest that the three died within days of each other, the last victim probably died yesterday morning, or the night before. However, we won't be sure until the final autopsy."

"The seven victims names were Joe Clarculus, Damien French, Steven Cameron, Jacob Fredericks, Sam Fletcher, Ricky Cods, and Eric McMury. All of them described the same suspect, and tested positive for GHB, but their individual experiences differed. French, Cameron and Fredericks reported that they lost consciousness after talking with the suspect at the bar, and woke up with bruises in an ally way the next morning. The others all reported being escorted out by the suspect after feeling explicitly intoxicated, and then being raped after losing the ability to move. The three that cops believe are in the grave are Clarculus, French, and Cameron, who were the first three to report the incidents to the cops. Fredericks is currently missing."

"What do the victim's have in common?" Rossi asked, fingering through the victim's photos in his file. "Besides their age, 23 to 29, and their physical characteristics?"

"Nothing so far, only two of them were taken from the same bar." Hotch paused, before adding, "Also, the unsub gave the victims cash and told them not to report the incident, so there are probably way more victims out there."

There was a sense of familiarity to the case that Morgan couldn't quite pick up on, until he heard Reid speak.

"It is estimated that only one in fifty raped women report the crime to the police, and the rates for under-reporting among men are even higher, especially if the male victims are over twelve."

Reid didn't sound any different than he normally did when he blurted facts, but his voice broke through Morgan's thoughts, bringing him back to something Reid had told him almost a month ago. For a moment Morgan was only half-aware that the rest of the team were throwing ideas back and forth, lost in his own thoughts. He forced himself to pay attention to what they were saying, knowing he'd get to talk to Reid later.

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**TBC….**

**A/N:** So yeah, not as long as normal. Severe Writer's Block. Tell me if you like where this is going, though. Suggestions and critic are always welcome.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** Thank you all for your continued support. Still getting over the Writer's Block, nothing sounds right, but I hope its okay. This chapter is also a little short, but whatever. Names of non-canon characters are made-up.

Reviews are great, like foot massages.

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS GRAPHIC CONTENT M++ DON'T READ IF IT WILL UPSET YOU**

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Several hours after they had arrived, the evidence board was already filled, pictures of victims tacked to every square inch of it. Reid was in his own corner of the conference room, working on the geographical profile. Morgan tried to stay concentrated on the white board he was staring at, words like 'rape' and 'GHB' standing out at him. JJ and Hotch had both left to interview Fletcher, Cods, and McMury and check out the dump site, while Emily and Rossi had gone to talk to family members of the deceased and missing victims. Reid had been left to work on the geographic profile. Morgan was waiting for the cops on the case to show up.

"Why does he drug them?" Morgan asked, not bothering to voice his current concerns. He could still hear Reid's voice, a harsh whisper in his head, repeating what he'd said almost a month ago, over and over, '_he slipped something into my drink…I don't really remember much, but when I woke up he gave me some money…so I wouldn't…you know…..' _There was no way it was just a coincidence.

"Were you even listening to Rossi when he gave the victims description of their assailant?" Reid snapped, sounding annoyed. When Morgan didn't answer, Reid let out a frustrated sigh. "All of the victim's were of light build, but they described a very frail man, with some sort of back problem." Reid paused to take a breath, turning back to his map.

"He walked with a cane, but the victims said his leg didn't appear to be injured. Once he got them to go to his car with him, he had them sit in the passenger seat. Once they were immobile, he blindfolded them, and drove them for anywhere from an hour, to three hours before stopping, and taking the blindfold off. The victims who stayed conscious, Clarculus, Cods, Fletcher and McMury, described a garage with a bed in it, right next to the car. He bound their arms, resulting in the same pattern of bruising in all of the victims, and used a system of pulley's to hoist them in the air over the bed, so he wouldn't have to strain his back lifting them. And then he raped them."

Morgan nodded, bits and pieces of what Rossi had said floating back to him as Reid reiterated the details. He noticed the obvious lack of details for the actual rape, but didn't call him on it. Just then two cops came in, looking a little frazzled, probably from spending the last two months trying to find a rapist, and then finding the bodies of the victims.

"Agent Morgan?" One asked, walking up to Morgan. He was a middle-aged, dark haired man, wearing a black suit and tie, with a tan overcoat. Morgan nodded at him. "I'm Detective Norris, and this officer Barry." Norris pointed at his colleague, a slightly older blonde woman. Morgan shook each of their hands. "Sorry we have to meet under these circumstances," Norris added, glancing at the team's evidence board.

"Yeah, well hopefully we can help you catch these guys pretty quick." Norris nodded in agreement, and then Barry stepped forward, handing Morgan a file. Morgan opened it, and found the autopsy reports for the three dead men.

"Carculus, French, and Cameron were all positively identified," said Barry, nodding at the folder. Morgan flipped through the pictures, his brows drawing together.

"What led you to believe it was them in the grave in the first place?" Morgan asked, glancing up. Norris and Barry glanced at one another, and then Barry handed Morgan the other file, this one containing crime scene photos. Reid had turned from his map, and walked over to them, giving Norris and Barry a quick nod before standing next to Morgan. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked at the file in Morgan's hand. Morgan opened it, and began flipping through the crime scene photos.

"The dump site wasn't too far from the abduction site, so we suspected it right off the bat, especially because the victims were missing. We were fairly certain once we got there. They weren't very well hidden. All three must have been dumped at the same time, because they weren't necessarily buried. They had some trash thrown over them, and that was about it. Also, there were plenty of houses nearby, so he wasn't concerned about the bodies being found. Also, he wrote 'Whore' on a piece of cardboard and threw it over the trash that was on top of the bodies." Reid winced slightly, but otherwise showed no emotion as he gently took the file from Morgan and began skimming through the photos.

"They were dumped there, like trash. Not only does he show aggression during the actual attack, but he doesn't feel remorse afterwards. What was the cause of death?" Reid asked, glancing up from the file.

"The stab wounds, along the victim's backs. They died of blood loss. They had been beaten, previous to their death, and sexually assaulted." answered Barry. Reid nodded, taking out a picture of one of the victim's backs, six stab wounds along the spine, three on each side. He showed it to Morgan before putting it back into the file. Just then Hotch and JJ returned, looking understandably grim.

"Hotch, this is Detective Norris and officer Barry," Morgan gestured to the two, and Hotch nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for coming. Have you notified the press?" Hotch asked.

"No, we figured we'd leave that up to you," answered Norris.

"Good. I don't want any of this getting out. The unsub feels that he is punishing these men, and has no remorse. Any coverage from the press will only make him feel more glorified in his killing. Since there haven't been any other sites like this, we can assume that he hasn't killed anyone else, so, thus far, he's only murdered his victim's who went to the police, which means he has some way of knowing if they report the attack." At this, Norris' eyebrow went up.

"I hope you're not suggesting this is a cop."

"Not at all, Detective. He wouldn't be physically well enough for duty. I need to discuss the profile with my team further so-"

"Got it, Agent Hotchner. We'll tell you if anything else comes up. I'll have everybody available waiting at the station when you're ready to give the profile." Hotch nodded, and gave a curt reply.

"Thank you."

Norris and Barry left. Immediately, Hotch turned to Reid, who handed him the crime scene photos. As Hotch thumbed through the photos, Rossi and Prentiss returned. Reid gave them a brief review of what they had learned, Hotch nodding as he listened, showing the photos to Rossi and Prentiss as Reid explained. Morgan wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but when Reid talked about the unsub, he seemed to avoid using pronouns such as 'he' or 'him', only referring to him as 'the unsub'.

"We talked to the surviving victims. All of them had been conscious, but immobile during the actual sexual assault. They described the unsub as a sadist, and said that he not only yelled obscenities at them, but forced them to ejaculate during the encounter," said Hotch. "All of them said that they visited the bar they had been taken from once every month or so, but didn't make it a habit, so he's probably not a stalker."

"He obviously has a type though; tall, skinny, brown hair. Hey Reid-"

"Shut up, Rossi," Reid snapped, glaring at the older man. Rossi immediately stopped, his mouth shutting with an audible click. Well, if Morgan had known before, he sure knew now. There was no longer a doubt in his mind that this was the guy who had drugged Reid. Morgan wasn't sure whether or not he was relieved to see that the rest of his team members didn't seem to take much notice; Reid had been grumpy lately (thanks to a certain asshole named Morgan). It was quiet too long for Morgan, he could already feel another wave of guilt for what he'd done to Reid last week washing over him, so he spoke up, mainly to get himself back in the game.

"What about the bars? Were they similar in any way?" Hotch shook his head.

"No, you had one that was similar to an Irish pub, a bar and grill, a couple sports bars…nothing in common except the general location."

"I think we'll need to figure out more about how he could know whether or not the victim's reported the crime if we want to get anywhere on this," said Prentiss. Reid nodded in agreement, walking over to the white board.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find a disabled unsub who frequently scouts bars looking for a specific type of target, and has access to information on specific rape victims." Morgan could practically hear the sarcasm saturating Reid's voice. Hotch didn't seem to notice.

"I'll get Garcia to look for handicapped men fitting the unsub's description, working in the hospital or police building where the men went after being assaulted." With that, Hotch turned and left, heading for Garcia's lair. Rossi frowned, sitting down in a chair to look at the white board.

"He was in some way injured, and now stabs his victim's in the back when they break his rules and go to the cops. He also associates the victim's with prostitutes, even though none of them had a background in prostitution…" Rossi had a sort of far-off tone to his voice, as if he were simply thinking aloud. He was about to continue speaking, when Reid cut in, sounding rushed as he spoke.

"So he blames a hooker, who most likely fits the victim's profiles, for his injury."

Rossi raised an eyebrow, looking quizzically at Reid.

"Did you have too much sugar in your coffee or something?" Morgan closed his eyes, and prayed that Rossi would stop before he hit a nerve with Reid.

"No. You just talk too slow. Fredericks is still missing, but probably still alive, so I'm not really in the mood to listen to you go off, stating the obvious." Reid was writing 'projection' on the board. Rossi looked like he was about to snap back at Reid, but then Prentiss spoke up, sounding nervous, and worried.

"Reid, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, now can we please work the case?" Reid wasn't yelling, but he sounded like he was on the brink of cracking with frustration.

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**TBC….**

**A/N:** Yeah, I just stayed up late, typing again…really tired…I title a story 'Don't Let Me Stay Out Late' and then I stay up late writing it. So I'm just going to lamely leave off here, and probably get the next chapter up the fifth or sixth.

Also, sorry for any typing/grammar/spelling errors. I try to do my best to proof-read, but I end up making mistakes anyways. I'm sort of in the market for a beta, but I'm kind of scared to go looking.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** Ignore my crappy profile. I know nothing about profiling, save what I learn from the show, so yeah, everything is kind of obvious. Handwriting analysis details from google, so they aren't entirely made up.

Also…I want to publicly apologize to Spencer…I know we all love to torture him, but I still feel bad about it. It's like I wake up every morning going, 'hmm, what a lovely day to hurt Reid.' I've actually got the next few chapters planned out and…well, let's just say Reid's not going to have fun.

And thank you, once again, for all of your support. Your reviews have been wonderful, and have made me much more confident about what I am doing. You guys are absolutely wonderful. I hope you like this chapter.

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS GRAPHIC CONTENT **__________________________________________________

Rossi frowned, and stood up, walking over to Reid and placing a hand on his shoulder. Reid just about jumped out of his skin, spinning around to face Rossi.

"Kid, I don't know what you're problem has been lately, but you need to get your head in the game, and stop snapping at your team mates." Rossi didn't sound overly angry, but his voice had a steely tone to it, that really left no room for arguing. Reid's eyes narrowed and Morgan was almost afraid that Reid would hit Rossi, right then and there in the conference room. Instead, he turned back to the white board, calmly folding his arms across his chest.

"There were at least two stressors. One made the unsub start raping men, around two to three months ago." Rossi nodded, seemingly appeased.

"Right. The first stressor was probably his injury, and most likely had something to do with a prostitute resembling the men." Prentiss, feeling the tension in the room ease, chose this time to join in.

"The second stressor made him start kidnapping and killing, a week ago. He threatened to kill them if they went to the cops, but he waited a whole month and a half before he actually kidnapped anyone."

Morgan walked over to the evidence board, looking at a note card that had been left with one of the victim's who had been unconscious for the assault. "_I have paid you more than you're worth, don't bother going to the cops, or I'll kill you._ He's pretty straightforward in the note." Reid walked over to Morgan, frowning as he looked at the note.

"A left slant, the unsub is probably cold, and indifferent to others, but the baseline is wavy, and the markings are dark, suggesting that he also has intense, uncontrollable moods. He doesn't concentrate on the upper zones of the letters, so he's probably of low intelligence. Maybe the unsub was a janitor or security guard at the hospital, or the police station, and was fired due to his injury."

"It would make sense. Losing his job could be the second stressor, the one that made him start killing," said Morgan, but then he frowned slightly. "Still, that doesn't explain how he knew where to find these guys once he figured out they reported the crime. They lived in different parts of town, one lives in DC, and they didn't work close to one another. I'm guessing he wasn't just roaming around town for a month and a half, and then happened to find them all in one week. He must have gotten personal information about them somehow." At this, Morgan noticed Reid tense considerably, his eyes going wide.

"He asked them where they lived before getting them in their cars, right?" Reid asked, turning to them. JJ, who had been silent thus far. JJ blinked, and stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Yeah. He told them he was going to drive them home," JJ answered. Reid nodded, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked back at the board.

"But that implies that he planned on killing them if they went to the cops before the stressor…" Reid trailed off as Hotch walked in.

"Garcia's still looking. Morgan, I think you and Reid should go and try to talk to some prostitutes, and see if any of them knew the unsub. He probably had plenty of contact with them before his injury." Morgan glanced at Reid, unsure of how he would react to being sent to talk to prostitutes. Reid just nodded calmly.

"His injury might have been caused by a prostitute who fits the victim's descriptions." said Reid, almost as if he were talking to himself. Pulling on his jacket, Reid left the conference room, and Morgan followed him. Once they had made it to the black SUV, Morgan got in the driver's side, taking a deep breath and waiting until Reid got in to start the vehicle.

"Are you going to tell them?" Morgan asked gently. Reid frowned deeply, shaking his head as he pulled on his seat belt.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Reid, please don't make this hard. This unsub is the same guy who raped you." Reid fidgeted, staring out of his window to avoid eye contact with Morgan.

"I don't remember enough for it to matter," Reid snapped.

"What do you remember?"

"I was with a friend, and he took off. I started feeling dizzy, even though I had only had one drink. The unsub walked up to me and offered me a ride home. I told him I'd just get a cab, but I was so...unsteady because of the drug, and I couldn't think straight...when he grabbed my arm and pulled me out to his car, I just went with him. I didn't tell him my address, but he kept asking me. He blindfolded me, and we drove for about two hours, but we couldn't have gotten far. He turned a lot, and I'm pretty sure he never crossed the interstate. He probably lives within a six to ten mile radius of the bar he took me from, which was on Potomac Avenue. Once he stopped, he pulled off the blindfold, and tied up my arms, tying them so most of my weight would be on the insides of my elbows and biceps…" Reid stopped, shaking his head. "We should stop here and walk up to the prostitutes. I don't think they'll want to talk to us if we drive up in a big, black SUV."

Morgan nodded and pulled over. They got out and walked up to the strip where the prostitutes worked. It was only about five pm, so there weren't many prostitutes on the streets yet. Reid walked up to a younger woman. Reid looked tired, but not nervous. Morgan decided to hang back a little, not wanting to crowd her.

"Hey, Stephen, haven't seen you in awhile," said the woman, smiling pleasantly at Reid. Well, of course Reid would've known other prostitutes, and wouldn't have used his real name...still, it was hard for Morgan to see Reid's former profession thrown in his face.

"Uh, yeah…I know…listen, have you heard any stories from the guys about a client who hurt his back while he was with them?" Reid asked.

The woman raised her eyebrows, but nodded. "Oh, sure. A couple months ago Brit had a guy throw out his back during the exchange."

"Uh, Brit?"

"Oh, right, you don't know him. Well, he doesn't work nights, only mornings. God knows why. He'll probably be up here tomorrow morning, around four or five. Tall, lanky guy, brown hair, red jacket. Hard to miss." Reid nodded and thanked her, and then turned back to Morgan.

"We'll have to wait to talk to him until tomorrow," Reid muttered as they walked away, sounding rather frustrated. And with good reason too; all of the victims had been killed between twenty and thirty hours of their abduction, and Fredericks had gone missing seven hours ago. Reid took out his phone as they reached the SUV. "I'm putting it on speaker," Reid said as he jumped into the vehicle. Morgan nodded, and began driving as they listened to the phone ring.

"_Hotchner."_

"Hi, Hotch. We know who the prostitute who threw out the unsub's back is, but we can't talk to him until tomorrow morning." On the other end of the line, Morgan heard Hotch let out a sigh of frustration.

"_Okay, Reid. I wish I could say we have something, but we don't. Garcia can't find anything and Fredericks doesn't have a lot of time left. The unsub is not going to be taking another victim until he kills Fredericks, so we can't send people to the bars to look for him…"_

"Me and Reid could go to the bars, see if somebody working there saw him."

"_No, I don't think that would do much good. Let's meet at the police precinct to give the profile."_

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By the time they had given the profile of the unsub, along with several police sketches, it was about eight pm. They returned to the Bureau, frustration filling the air. They had made sure that the surviving victims had police stationed around their houses, along with other precautions. Hotch, JJ, and Prentiss were on one side of the conference room, still trying to figure out how the unsub knew which victims had gone to the police, while Rossi, Morgan and Reid were on the other side of the room, scrutinizing Reid's geographic profile. Lines, circles, and tacks were placed across the map. One area was circled and highlighted as the most likely area that the unsub resided in. Rossi frowned slightly, leaning closer to the map.

"Reid, what's this circle here?" Rossi asked, pointing at a smaller circle, with a radius of about ten miles. Reid raised his eyebrow.

"Although he never took them from the same bar, three out of the seven were taken from bars near Quantico, so he probably lives in the area, since he's most comfortable here, but he would want to distance himself from the kidnapping, at least a little, so the unsub must live somewhere in here," said Reid, tracing the highlighted circle around Dumfries.

"Alright," said Rossi. Just then, Garcia came rushing in.

"Well, hello, my darlings. Guess what the gorgeous tech-goddess dug up for you." Heads turned to Garcia.

"What have you got, Garcia?" Hotch asked calmly.

"Well, after finding no trace of the guy in records, or the cyber world, I called the hospital that all of the victims went to, and talked to some of the staff. It turns out that a guy with a bum back was constantly in and out of the hospital, not for medical reasons, but to pick up his 'friend' from work. However, the staff say that they never saw him leaving with anyone, and it turns out he was always in just after the rapes occurred. They don't have any of his medical records on file, so he's not a patient at that hospital. He would have known that they would all go to that hospital though, since it's the nearest one to the alley he dumped them in. Also, it's closer to where he left them than the precinct."

"Good work, Garcia. See if you can get anything more." Garcia nodded at Hotch, and then hurried away.

"Well, at least now we know how he knew which victims reported the assault," said Rossi.

Hotch just shook his head, and pulled out his cell, calling Detective Norris to give him an update. While Hotch was on the phone, Morgan went to swap ideas with Prentiss. He didn't notice Reid and Rossi arguing until they started raising their voices.

"I wouldn't have a problem doing my job if you weren't always questioning every little thing I do!" Reid practically yelled. Rossi stepped up close into Reid's personal space, crowding him back against the wall. Morgan could only look on in horror, unsure of how to help Reid without drawing suspicion.

"Don't exaggerate Reid! I just wanted you to explain why you think the unsub is impotent! It just doesn't fit the profile, and not to mention, all of the victims descriptions of their assault suggest anything but impotence." By this time, Hotch had finished his phone call, and was looking at the two profilers with something like horrified disbelief.

"Just drop it, okay Rossi! It doesn't even matter!"

"Just explain it to me, Reid!"

"There are…they were all drugged, and all said that he was behind them, and if he put a condom on it, they wouldn't have known if he were using a…." Reid simply trailed off, looking away. "Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway."

"Just explain to me why you think that?" Rossi asked, crowding Reid even more. Reid went tense, and punched Rossi square in the chest, hard enough to knock the wind out of the older profiler. Rossi grabbed his chest, backing away from a _very _pissed off Reid.

"Reid, if you have a personal connection with this case, I suggest you tell us now." Hotch's voice was stern and sharp, but not altogether cold. Reid's eyes went wide, and his body went completely rigid. Morgan felt like he'd been punched in the gut when Reid glanced over at him, his eyes practically screaming, '_help me!'_ Reid then took his eyes off Morgan, staring at Hotch, seeming almost terrified. It was, for Morgan, heart-wrenching, and he personally wanted nothing more than to punch Hotch in the face for bringing this up. There was a long, tense moment of silence, in which Hotch and Reid simply stared at one another, and then Reid hunched his shoulders, looking at the ground.

"Yes…" he muttered, sounding almost like a kid who had gotten caught stealing out of his mother's purse. Hotch blinked, and Morgan could tell he was shocked at the admission, no matter what his suspicions had been. "But…there's nothing I can add to the profile that would be useful." Suddenly Reid turned, and hurried out of the room. Hotch let him go, sitting down and closing his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Morgan glanced around, feeling an odd sense of surrealism. Rossi stood where he had been arguing with Reid, his usually unreadable mask pulled back, revealing shock, guilt…it made him look older, almost frailer than usual. Looking at JJ, he was reminded of how she had looked in Georgia after they had found out Tobias Hankel had kidnapped Reid. Emily put her arm around JJ shoulders, and was gently escorting her out of the room. Hotch spoke up, but didn't move.

"Morgan...you knew…you knew, didn't you?" Morgan sucked in a breath and hesitated before answering.

"Yes, sir."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Morgan didn't hesitate before answering this time.

"No."

"Alright…go see if he's okay…take him home. If you see JJ and Prentiss, tell them they can go home too, but they need to be here tomorrow morning. I would still like you and Reid to talk to 'Brit' tomorrow, but if he needs to sit it out in the SUV, please encourage him to do so. We still have to work this case." Morgan nodded, and then, as though in a daze, left the room, at first unsure of where to look for Reid. He passed JJ and Prentiss, and told them what Hotch had said, and then wandered off to find Reid. He turned and went into the men's room. Morgan was greeted by the sound of Reid emptying his stomach contents in one of the stalls, and he had to stop momentarily to gather himself.

Feeling slightly unsteady, Morgan walked over to the open stall at the far end, and knelt down behind Reid, holding his hair back with one hand, and rubbing soothing circles on his back with the other while Reid continued to throw-up, despite the fact he'd only had toast that morning, and chips out of the vending machine for lunch. Finally, after a minute or two, the dry heaves ceased. Reid tore off a couple squares of toilet paper, wiping his mouth, leaning back and flushing.

"I'm okay," Reid muttered, leaning back against Morgan slightly. Morgan could feel Reid trembling.

"Here, let me help you up. We got to get home, we have an early morning tomorrow." Reid nodded, and Morgan helped him carefully to his feet, and they walked out of the restroom, Reid pushing Morgan away when he tried to help him walk.

As they got into Morgan's car, Reid took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Once Morgan had started driving, Reid spoke up, sounding devastated.

"I…I shouldn't be on the team."

"What? No, Reid, god, don't say that…we need you, kid…"

"I keep messing up!!! I know you knew about the Dilaudid, and then there's this whole thing…I was moonlighting as a hooker, Morgan! I do not belong in the FBI. I _punched _David Rossi. God…Hotch is going to fire me, isn't he?" Reid hunched over in his seat, burying his face in his hands.

"He isn't going to fire you, Reid! He's worried, more than anything. Everybody cares about you. If you need some time off, I'm sure Hotch will give it to you." Morgan continued to try to reassure Reid that his spot on the team was not being questioned in any way, but Reid didn't seem to hear him, curled up in the passenger seat. Once they made it to Morgan's house, Reid practically jumped in the car, and ran into the house. Morgan got inside, and heard the shower running. He let out a sigh, and went to his room, taking out the case file.

After a minute of trying, unsuccessfully, to piece things together, Morgan simply tossed the folder across the room, and then ran a hand over his scalp. God, he just wanted to punch a wall, or scream…probably not a good idea. No need to freak Reid out by throwing things at the walls and whatnot. Once he heard the water shut off, Morgan left his room, passing Reid in the hallway. Morgan took a quick shower, and then went back into the bedroom, noticing with little surprise that Reid had gone to his own room. Collapsing onto the bed, Morgan closed his eyes and, still feeling the stress from the day, fell asleep.

_________________________________________

**TBC…**

**A/N: **Alright, putting this chapter up a little early. Once again, thank you for all your reviews. I've got the next few chapters planned out, but I could still always use suggestions; for example, I've got Reid's reactions down pretty good, I think, but Morgan's just kind of standing around, going 'oh noooooo.' I could really use some help with what to do with his reactions. sassyboots4's review gave me some ideas for what I'm going to do, but I'm still just not very good at Morgan reactions.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** Hmmm…had issues writing this chapter. Liked my OMC, Brit, though…gonna have to find an excuse to slip him in here later. Also, I'm kinda low on brain cell right now…found a couple pics of Matthew Gubler without a shirt…my brain melted.

And thank you all for the reviews and advice, it really helped.

**WARNING: Nothing worse than stuff in previous chapters…Still bad though **__________________________________________________

When Morgan wakes up, he's only had a couple hours of sleep. A quick glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table revealed the time to be two-thirty in the morning. Morgan groaned, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He was aware that Reid was still standing there, watching him, but he was a little too tired to care at that particular moment. Getting up, Morgan picked out a clean set of clothes, and went to the bathroom, getting cleaned up and changed. When he went down to the kitchen, Reid had eggs, and toast done, and was drinking coffee while waiting for Morgan. Wondering exactly when Reid had gotten up to already be ready and have made breakfast, Morgan sat down, and began eating.

"So, you think this guy Brit will be able to help us find the unsub?" Morgan asked. Reid shrugged, finishing the last of his own breakfast.

"I don't know, but I hope so. Jacob Fredericks has been missing almost seventeen hours now. He's running out of time," said Reid, glancing at his watch. He let out a sigh, and then took a slow drink of his coffee. "We don't even know if Brit will be there, let alone if he'll want to talk to us."

"But if he does talk, he'll probably be able to remember where the unsub lives, right?" Morgan asked, trying to sound hopeful. Reid scoffed, shaking his head.

"Most prostitutes don't let clients choose the place. Women are more strict about that than men are though, so there's still a chance that Brit was at the unsub's house. There's also the chance he'll remember the unsub's car." Morgan nodded, and finished his toast, and then stood up.

"Well, we should get going to meet Brit then."

Reid stood up, and walked into the living room, grabbing his bag off the couch before meeting Morgan in the entryway. They walked out to the car together, and set off. While driving, Morgan cleared his throat.

"Listen, if you just want to sit this out-" he began, but Reid cut in.

"I can handle this, Morgan. I came to work two days after it happened, and did my job just like any other day, I can still do my job now. And as long as Hotch doesn't fire me, I fully plan on staying with the Bureau. "

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable doing this, okay?" Morgan didn't want to voice how uncomfortable he felt about the whole situation. All he wanted to do was drive Reid back home, and lock him in his room, and refuse to let him out until this case was over.

Reid took a deep breath before answer. "I know…Sorry for snapping at you…I just wish the rest of the team hadn't found out."

"You don't need to worry about the team, kid. They care about you, Hotch included. Nobody's going to think less of you because of this. You'll always be ten times smarter than all of us combined. Just let me know if you need to sit things out." Reid nodded, so Morgan let it go, praying that Reid wouldn't push himself, especially on this case. Minutes ticked by as they drove on in silence, and then Morgan pulled over where they had stopped the previous day, and they both left the vehicle. It was still dark out as they walked over to the strip, Morgan hanging back slightly. After about a minute of looking around, Reid started walking towards a young man leaning against a dumpster, smoking out of a tin foil pipe, and wearing the red jacket the prostitute had described the previous day. He fit the physical description of the victim's; long brown hair, tall, lanky.

"Uh…hey, Brit," Reid said awkwardly. Brit looked up, and Morgan noticed that he was smoking coffee grounds. A quick glance at the dumpster verified where he had gotten them.

"That's me. Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah, actually, you can. I'm looking for someone…you probably haven't seen him recently, but he threw out his back a couple months ago…"

"Oh, right, that guy. What about him?"

"I need to talk to him, so if have any way of contacting him, it would be a big help." Brit shook his head, tossing his pipe to the side.

"I don't have his phone number or nothing. I remember his house though. Up in Dumfries, on Dominion Drive. Small green house. Can't miss it." Reid blinked, as if momentarily stunned, but then nodded, coming out of his shock.

"Thank you, Brit, you've been a big help," said Reid, he began to turn away, but then Brit put his hand on Reid's shoulder, stopping him.

"Yeah?" Reid asked, turning back to him.

"Wanna make out?" Brit asked, grinning. Morgan felt his face heat up, and he began to step forward, with the intent of beating the living shit out of Brit, but Reid just stepped back, putting up his hands.

"No thank you," Reid said calmly. Brit just shrugged, and let his hand fall.

"Okay, suit yourself. Good luck finding that guy."

Reid just nodded, and turned around again, and began walking away, tugging on Morgan's arm when Morgan didn't immediately follow. Reid kept one hand on Morgan's arm to make sure he kept following, and used his free hand to bring out his phone.

"Hi, Hotch, I know it's early, but we have something. Brit gave us a street name, and description of the house. Okay, see you there." With that, Reid snapped the phone shut as they approached the car. He jumped into the passenger seat, and waited for Morgan to get in before he started talking. "Hotch wants to meet us at the Bureau. We're going to head straight to the unsub's house from there. He's going to get some back-up from the cops, and have Garcia look up the houses owner." Morgan nodded, and turned the car so they could drive back to the Bureau. As he was driving, a thought suddenly hit him.

"Hotch isn't going to let you come with us on the raid, right?"

"Well, he didn't say I couldn't go."

"Reid, I really think you should sit this one out…"

"If Hotch says I can go, then I'm going." Morgan's fingers tightened on the steering wheel, and he took a couple deep breaths to calm down.

"Reid, please, you don't need to go on this raid."

"Fine."

Reid sounded pissed, but Morgan was just too relieved that he had agreed not to go to care. He pulled into the Bureau parking lot, and they both got out. Hotch was already there, with Rossi and Emily. They were all putting on bullet-proof vests, standing next to the Bureau SUV's. Morgan and Reid walked over to them, just as Hotch looked up.

"Good, you're here. Garcia found some info on our unsub. His name is Vincent Green, and he was fired from his janitorial job at a bank a week and a half ago. He shut off his cell phone, so Garcia can't gdt a trace. We've got a warrant for his house and car." Hotch paused, looking at Reid. "I want you to stay here, and go over what we have with Garcia." Reid simply nodded, and turned to go into the building. Once he was gone, Hotch turned to Morgan. "Is he okay?" Hotch asked, sounding concerned. Rossi glanced at Morgan, still looking as haunted as he had when Morgan left the previous day. Morgan began putting on his own bullet-proof vest, looking away from Hotch.

"Yeah. He's still…well, he's still pissed that you guys found out. He really didn't want you all knowing," Morgan muttered, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice. He couldn't help but think that Reid would be better off if the team hadn't found out. He could imagine how Reid felt…hell, he _knew_. He remembered how he'd felt, after they'd found out about Carl Buford. Angry, betrayed, exposed. Ignoring the looks he got from the rest of the team, he got into one of the SUV's, sitting in the driver's spot. Since it was just the four of them, the rest of the team got into the SUV with him, and then he started driving, heading for Dominion Drive in Dumfries. During the drive, Hotch called Detective Norris to make sure their back-up was on the way.

As Morgan pulled into Green's house, he could hear police sirens coming down the street. The doors of the SUV flew open, and the team jumped out, running up to the house. Doors were broken down, guns were drawn, and the team searched the house, starting with the garage. Of course, there was a bed there, along with ropes, chains, and various paraphernalia. However, after a full search of the house, they found no sign of Miles, or Fredericks. Running a hand over his scalp, Morgan pulled out his phone and dialed Reid's number.

"_Morgan?"_ Reid asked on the other line, sounding nervous.

"Hey kid…Miles isn't here, and neither is Fredericks…there's no doubt this is the place though," said Morgan, glancing back into the garage. CSIs were gathering evidence, centering around a curtained off area, where they had found a bathtub and bloodstains.

"_He's injured…he wouldn't move Fredericks unless he absolutely had to…"_

"I know…" Just then, a CSI walked up to Morgan, shaking his head. "Just a second," Morgan said to Reid, before turning to the CSI. "What've you got?"

"Well, hair, fibers, blood, you name it…but all of the blood in the tub is rather old…I don't think the latest victim was killed, at least not here." Morgan nodded, and the CSI walked away to continue with the crime scene.

"Reid, Fredericks wasn't killed here, so he might still be alive, but we don't know where he is. You and Garcia got anything?"

"_I'll have Garcia check." _There was a pause on the other end of the line, and muffled voices. "_Nothing._"

Morgan punched the nearest wall, and resisted the urge to start screaming. Just then Hotch came in, and motioned for Morgan that they were going. Morgan nodded and followed him out to the SUV. "Well, we're heading back to the Bureau until we can find anything. We'll see you in a few minutes."

"_Okay…"_

When Morgan heard the dial tone, he hung up his phone, shoving it into his pocket. The quick drive to the Bureau only left Morgan feeling more edgy, and when he got out, he practically ran into the building, not bothering to wait for the others. He made it into the bullpen after shoving only a few people out of his way, and walked into Garcia's bunker. Reid was walking back and forth, running his hands through his hair, while Garcia sat at her computer, frantically typing. JJ was also there, scrutinizing Garcia's computer monitors.

Seeing Morgan enter, Reid turned to him. "He hasn't used his credit card, or made phone calls, or anything…" Reid glanced over Morgan's shoulder as the rest of the team came in.

"Anything?" Hotch asked as he came in. Reid simply shook his head, and began pacing once more, staring avidly at the floor.

"We could go and talk to his doctors, see if they know anything," Reid suggested. Hotch nodded.

"Alright, you, Morgan and Rossi go ahead."

The three head out the door, Rossi telling Hotch to keep them updated as they left. Rossi got into the driver's seat, with Reid in the front passenger's seat. Although Morgan knew Rossi posed no threat to Reid, he felt uncomfortable having Reid sitting next to Rossi, after the way Rossi had crowded him the other day. As they drove, Rossi's phone rang, and he immediately picked it up, putting it on speaker phone.

"_Rossi, we've got a lead. Garcia found out that he owns another property, under his dead father's name. We're going there now, but I want the three of you to head over to Miles' doctor's office, just in case."_

"Sounds like a plan. Let us know if you get the bastard."

Rossi snapped his phone shut, and turned into the doctor's office. The three got out, and walked into the building. Approaching the counter, Morgan took out his FBI badge, and flashed it at the receptionist to get her attention.

"Well, hello, can I help you?" she asked nervously. Morgan nodded, putting away his badge.

"We're here to talk to Vincent Miles' personal doctor."

The receptionist nodded, and then turned to get the doctor. She returned a moment later with the doctor, who came out from behind the desk, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Well, hello there. I hope I haven't done anything to gain unwanted attention from the FBI," he said, sounding pleasant.

"No, actually, this is about one of your patients," said Rossi.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. We need to know if there's any way you can help us find Vincent Miles."

The doctor looked slightly shocked, and confused, frowning at them. "Well, he just left with that kid that was standing behind you."

Both Rossi and Morgan swung around, only to find that Reid was no long behind them.

_____________________________________

**TBC…**

**A/N: I just stayed up late typing yet again. Look, a cliff-hanger! Dun dun dun…I think I'll just wait a week or so to update this. Mwhahaha…just kidding. I'll get the next part up within the next few days.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** I just realized that I changed the unsubs name from Green to Miles near the end of the last chapter…I apologize for any confusion I caused. I have no idea why I suddenly started calling him Miles. We're going with Green from now on.

Uh, didn't really like this chapter, even after rewriting it twice. Writer's Block is returning…Ugh…

**WARNING: Nothing worse than stuff in previous chapters…Still bad though **__________________________________________________

Morgan ran out of the doctor's office with Rossi on his heels. He stopped outside, and looked around, his heart pounding so hard he was sure it was going to break his sternum. There was no sign of Reid, or Green. Rossi pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open and jabbing at the buttons. He held it to his ear silently for a moment, and then practically barked into it.

"Garcia! We need a trace on Reid's phone, _now!"_ He paused, listening to Garcia on the other end, and then he ran to the SUV, with Morgan following. Morgan felt nauseas, and lightheaded…he prayed he wouldn't pass out, not now. He was relieved that Rossi was driving.

"Call Hotch, tell him Green got Reid…no, I don't know how!!! Just tell Hotch. Just text me if they turn, and tell me which street they turn down." With that, Rossi hung up, turning on the siren and lights, turning his full attention to the road. He was driving like a maniac, and Morgan had to put his hand on the ceiling to keep himself steady so he wouldn't throw up.

"I don't see the bastard's car…fuck…Garcia better be right…" Rossi's phone chimed and he opened it, took a glance, and then swerved, turning around and taking a side street. Another text and Rossi slammed on the breaks. "Garcia says he's here, somewhere…" Rossi jumped out of the car, and Morgan followed, looking around to find Green's car, and not seeing it.

"Did Garcia have an address?" Morgan asked.

"No…she said that he called her, but she couldn't hear anything on the other line. She called an ambulance…God…where is he?"

A door a couple houses away opened and they turned instinctively towards the sound. The sight of Reid calmly walking out of the house, closing the door behind him, was not exactly what they had expected.

There was blood; that much Morgan could comprehend. He didn't know whose blood covered the brown argyle sweater-vest Reid wore. Rossi made it to Reid first, grabbing the young man's shoulders and shaking him.

"Reid! REID! Reid, look at me, what happened?" Rossi yelled. Reid simply stared at Rossi as if he were an alien, his eyes wide and confused, his face turning almost grey. Morgan half wanted to grab Rossi, and throw him away from Reid, but knew better than to cause a scene. After several moments of silence, Rossi let go of Reid's shoulders, to Morgan relief, and suddenly Reid came out of his stupor, turning towards a car on the street, and hurrying over to it. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, and fumbled with them before opening the car's trunk, revealing Fletcher's unconscious form.

The sound of sirens suddenly rose from the distance as the ambulances came screeching down the street. When the medical staff jumped out, Rossi yelled at a doctor to attend to Fletcher, who lay unconscious, bound, gagged, and bleeding in the trunk of Green's car. Thankfully, the doctor didn't mind Rossi's rude behavior, and immediately ran to the car. Reid stepped back, allowing a doctor to check on Fletcher. Morgan stepped next to Reid, and slowly put an arm around his shoulders. Reid jumped, but then leaned against Morgan, seemingly suddenly exhausted. Once they had gotten a little ways away from the scene, Morgan helped Reid sit down on the curb.

Once Reid was sitting, Morgan carefully examined him. His sweater-vest and the shirt underneath it had a tear, and there was a small cut in his side, but nothing too serious, which meant most of the blood wasn't Reid's. Sighing with relief, Morgan sat down, and pulled Reid against himself, not really caring if anyone saw. Worry was starting to settle in Morgan's gut…Reid was too quiet. Really, he hadn't said anything thus far.

Morgan glanced up, and saw another one of the Bureau's black SUV's pulling up. Reid tensed, murmuring something unintelligible. Hotch jumped out of the SUV, struggling with the conscious effort to remain calm. Hotch and Prentiss glanced briefly at Reid and Morgan, before turning to the scene that was unfolding. Green was being wheeled out on a stretcher, injured and covered in blood, but alive.

"Reid, what happened, kid?" Morgan asked gently, hugging Reid's body tightly to his own. Reid shivered slightly, and took a deep breath.

"I had to shoot him, Morgan…he-" Reid stopped, looking up as a man was escorted out of the house by Prentiss and Hotch, his hands behind his back in cuffs. Instead of finishing his statement, Reid just shook his head, looking down at the asphalt. Morgan waited for him to speak, but when Reid stayed silent, Morgan didn't bother him. He figured Reid just need a minute to calm down after whatever had happened. Hotch began walking over to them, snapping his phone shut.

"Fredericks and Green are on the way to the hospital, and they're both expected to make a full recovery." Hotch paused, obviously trying to articulate what he said next in a way that wouldn't upset Reid. "Rossi told me what happened. Reid, maybe you should see a doctor." Reid shook his head, moving away from Morgan.

"I'm fine, actually. I just want to get home and take a shower."

Hotch was silent for a moment, his jaw tense. "If you're sure. I'll need a report on what happened, though. I want you both to bring your reports in tomorrow morning."

Hotch walked away, and Morgan helped Reid to his feet, escorting him over to one of the SUV's. They stopped by the Bureau before going home. When they got in the door, Reid instantly began pulling off his clothes, which startled Morgan slightly. By the time he'd made it to the bathroom, he'd lost the bloodstained sweater-vest, tie, and shirt. Morgan picked them off the floor, and after a brief moment, decided to throw them away, tossing them in the trash can outside. With that done, he sat down on the couch, and began filling out his report, writing concisely, only including the necessary details. Once it was done, he put it on the tea-table. He dozed off while sitting on the couch, despite it not even being noon yet. He woke up to the feel of gentle, timid kisses pressing against his jaw, a thin body curled against him. He opened his eyes, and smiled slightly, stroking a hand down Reid's cheek. He had on his glasses, and one of Morgan's old tee-shirts. Morgan must've been asleep for a while, because Reid's finished report was on the table on top of Morgan's.

"How you feeling?" Morgan asked. Reid tucked his head under Morgan's chin, relaxing under Morgan's touch.

"I've been better," Reid muttered grumpily. He pulled back, motioning at a plate on the tea-table. "I made you a sandwich. I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up."

Trying to ignore how incredibly sweet it was of Reid to make him lunch, Morgan grabbed the plate, and began to scarf down the sandwich. "You already ate, right?" he asked through a mouthful of food. A smile tugged at the corners of Reid's lips, and he nodded, leaning against the armrest of the couch. Once Morgan had finished, he got up and took his plate to the kitchen. When he returned to the living room, Reid was sprawled out on the couch. Morgan sat on a sliver of couch that was not occupied by Reid's long limbs, next to Reid's hip.

"You okay, kid?"

Reid groaned, shaking his head. "I didn't want anyone to know what happened to me…" he muttered. Reid took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I guess there's really nothing I can do about it now…" Morgan leaned over Reid, kissing his cheek.

"They aren't going to think less of you, Spencer, you know that." Reid looked up at him with big, watery brown eyes, holding his gaze briefly before looking away, his throat clicking as he swallowed dryly. Reid's fingers were fidgeting nervously with the bottom of his shirt, so Morgan gently took Reid's hands in his own, slowly rubbing his fingers. "Everything will go back to normal, soon enough."

"When have things ever been normal at the BAU?" Reid asked, his voice cracking, but a small smile forming on his face. Morgan put on a fake thoughtful expression, pursing his lips together.

"Well, things were pretty mundane before you joined." At this, Reid laughed, his smile growing.

"So you just like having me around to keep things interesting?" Reid joked. Morgan just laughed, shaking his head.

"God, we'd be lost without you, kid." Reid just rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling, and the general mood had lifted. Morgan still felt a flurry of emotions battling inside of him, but with Reid smiling and happy, he didn't dare begin brooding now.

_____________________________________

**TBC…**

**A/N: I will probably post the next chapter later than usual, maybe three, or four days from now. I have a vague idea of what I'm going to do next, but I need to formulate it more clearly in my mind before I continue.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** I would like to thank all of my reviewers, once again, you guys are great. Also, big thanks to sassyboots4 again, for inspiring a scene in this chapter.

I wasn't sure if Strauss is still the director, somebody told me she was replaced, but I can't recall the new person, if there is one, so I just used Strauss.

**WARNING: Nothing worse than stuff in previous chapters…Still bad though **__________________________________________________

As they headed into the office the next day, Reid kept his head down, and his shoulders hunched, trying to remain as small as possible. Despite all of Morgan's reassurances that no one would judge him for what happened, Reid was still uncomfortable going back into the office. As Morgan turned in his, and Reid's reports, Hotch signaled for him to wait.

"Has Reid talked to you about what happened yesterday?" Morgan shook his head, rubbing a hand over his scalp.

"No. Why?" Morgan tried, and failed to keep the concern and worry out of his voice. They had spent the afternoon, pleasantly, watching movies and eating junk food, but Reid had still spent most of the night awake, if the dark circles under his eyes, and the extra cup of caffeine were any clue.

"I'm just worried. We interviewed Green. He wasn't forthcoming on any details, but from what he did tell us, it was obvious he'd had enough time alone with Reid to hurt him, in the vary least." Hotch paused, picking up Reid's report. He skimmed it briefly, his shoulders tensing. "I've talked to Strauss. I'm giving the whole team two weeks off, starting tomorrow. I think we all need to…come to terms with this, especially Reid."

Morgan was momentarily stunned. They hadn't had the whole team take time off all at once since the case with Randal Gardner. And god knows, that hadn't gone well. Still, it made sense for them to take time off now. Nodding, Morgan turned to leave, but then Hotch spoke again.

"You and Reid are living together?" It was more of a question, than a statement, so Morgan turned around again, folding his arms across his chest.

"Reid needed someone to help him through what had happened." Morgan didn't mention how little help he had been, thus far. Hotch nodded slightly, tapping his fingers against his desk.

"Alright…I think the rest of the team will be visiting the two of you during the break, if that's okay with you." Morgan nodded, even though he knew Reid would rather be left alone, and then he left Hotch's office, walking down into the bullpen. Garcia was standing next to Reid's desk, talking excitedly about the break they were about to have…right, Garcia hadn't been there when Hotch had asked Reid about his connection to the case, and Morgan was fairly certain no one had told her. Reid was smiling brightly at her.

Morgan sat at his desk, and spent the rest of the day finishing up paperwork, and trying to figure out what him and Reid would do during the two-week vacation, unsure of whether or not the break would help Reid or not. By the time the day was over, everyone had heard about the vacation, and all seemed relieved for the break. As Morgan followed Reid out of the building, he was surprised to see Reid in a better mood, talking animatedly about black holes and string theory. Once they got home, Reid immediately went for the shower, something Morgan understood, an overwhelming, unconscious need to keep clean.

As Reid came out of the shower, he stretched out on the couch, putting his feet in Morgan's lap and staring at the TV as a sports announcer drawled on about the players and the score.

"The others will probably want to come over and talk, so if we do go somewhere, we'll have to tell them in advance," Morgan said off-handedly. Reid looked away from the TV, scrutinizing Morgan for a moment.

"I don't really want to talk about it with them…"

"I know, Pretty Boy," Morgan sighed. He picked up one of Reid's feet, and began to massage it, working from the heel, to the arch, to his toes. Reid let out a deep groan, closing his eyes.

"Did you know that the feet contain 2.5 million nerve-endings? They have so many, because if the nerve endings didn't end there, they would have to extend past the foot…"

"Really now?" Morgan laughed, taking Reid's other foot. "Feel good?" Morgan asked, pressing his thumbs into the arch. A slow smile spread over Reid's face.

"Definitely. No one's ever given me a foot massage before…" Even as Reid spoke, he began to drift off to sleep, his eyelids fluttering closed. Morgan continued the massage, letting Reid fall asleep, before he stood up, carefully moving Reid's feet. Instead of carrying Reid to his room, and risking dropping him, he got a pillow and blanket, and got Reid comfortable, before going to bed. As Reid fell further into a deep sleep, the events of the other day slipped into his mind to torment him.

__________________________________________________________

"_Make a sound, and I'll kill you." The point of a knife and the palm of a man's hand emphasize the point, and Reid immediately tenses, pressing his lips together. Warm breath in his ear, combined with the knife against his neck is mind-numbingly terrifying, and all he can do is follow the hand that carefully guides him away from his team mates. Vincent Green leads him out of the building, hiding the knife behind the palm of his hand, but keeping it pressed against Reid's neck. Reid knows he could easily overpower Green, or take out his gun and simply shoot him, but he wants to know where Fletcher is first._

_Green opens a car door, and Reid instantly notes that it isn't the car that Garcia had found registered to him. Getting into the vehicle, Reid glances out the window, hoping to see Morgan and Rossi, but not having such luck. They're probably still waiting for the doctor to come out. As Green slams the driver's side door, Reid turns to him, feeling his heart-rate speed up. _

"_Where are you taking me?" Reid asks, trying to remain calm. Reid carefully takes out his phone, and puts it on mute, pressing speed dial for Garcia. Green turns on the car and begins driving down the road. They take a side street, and Green parks, getting out of the vehicle, and opening Reid's door, keeping the knife in plain site now. As Reid stands, he leaves his cell phone on the seat, praying Green won't see it. However, Green catches site of Reid's gun, and grabs Reid by the arm, stealing the gun from it's holster, and pointing it at Reid._

"_Did you think you were going to shoot me, you little whore?" Green sneers. Reid just shakes his head, staring at the ground. He follows as Green leads him into a house, a sense of dread filling him. There's another man in the house, but he doesn't seem too concerned with what Green is doing. _

_Green leads Reid into a room, and Reid stumbles in when Green pushes him, much more roughly than Reid thinks a disabled man should be able to. Green steps forward, pressing the knife against Reid's side, moving it to the side so it cuts past Reid's clothes, just barely cutting into his skin. _

"_Be a good little whore, and strip for me," Green whispers, his breath ghosting over Reid's face like a sickly specter. His free hand is everywhere Reid wishes it wasn't, petting him through the fabric of his clothing. Reid trembles, but before he can begin to obey the command, the sound of a siren breaks through the thick air, and Green whirls around. Without thinking, Reid grabs his gun out of Green's hand, and simply shoots him. Green falls to the ground, clutching at his side, writhing and screaming out in pain. Reid knows he should feel _something_ right now, but he doesn't. Seeing Green thrashing on the ground doesn't give him any satisfaction, or guilt for that matter. So Reid walks out of the room, putting his gun back in it's holster as he does so. As he passes the other man, he is ignored, just as he had been when coming into the house. Reid briefly considers shooting him, simply for his lack of indifference towards the crime…_

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Reid started in his sleep, and found himself laying on the ground, tangled in blankets and covered in sweat. Pushing his hair out of his face, Reid extricated himself from the sheets, his whole body trembling. During the actual event, he had been calm after shooting Green, completely without remorse or fear as he walked away. Now that it was over, he felt terrified, mainly at his own reaction. Reid stood, and hurried into the bathroom, emptying his stomach before undressing and getting into the shower.

Hearing the violent retching, Morgan got out of bed, walking over to the closed bathroom door. He sighs, running his hand over his face once he hears the shower turn on. Morgan waits outside of the bathroom, and once Reid came out, Morgan simply put an arm around his shoulders, and led him into his bedroom. Morgan gently pushes Reid to sit on the bed, and then kneels in front of him, putting his hands on Reid's knees.

"You want to talk about it?"

"I didn't have to shoot him…" Reid whispered, looking away from Morgan as his eyes clouded over.

"Green?"

"Yeah…I could've overpowered him without the gun…but I didn't. And when I was walking out, I almost shot the other guy, even though he wasn't stopping me." Morgan's eyebrows shot up.

"Reid, you've been through a traumatizing ordeal. I'd be worried if you didn't have an emotional reaction like that."

"Morgan…I didn't _feel_ anything when I did it. I just shot him. I didn't even feel guilty…" Reid shook his head, staring at the bedspread.

"How do you feel now?"

"Confused…" Reid admitted. Morgan nodded.

"It takes time to get over stuff like this, so don't worry about it, Spencer. Here, let's get in bed, and get some sleep." Reid nodded, and they both climbed into bed together, Reid curling up against Morgan's side. "Try to get some rest, Garcia's coming over tomorrow before she head off to Mexico."

"She doesn't know…" Reid muttered.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Hell no. I don't think it would be fair to let her in on that right before she head off to Mexico with her boyfriend."

Morgan let out a sigh, and nodded. "Okay, fine. But let's get some sleep now, okay?" Reid nodded his agreement before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

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**TBC…..**

**A/N: Okay, I putting this up earlier than I thought I would, and yes, it is short. Basically, the ac/dc adapter for my laptop is broke, and the batteries running out, and I won't be able to get a new ac/dc adapter for a week or two. I might be able to do the next few chapters on the family computer, but I can only use that computer so much, so the next chapter might not be up for a lONG time. Also, that's why this chapter sucked (more than usual). I'm in a hurry to finish it and post it before the battery dies. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds, or Iron Man

**A/N: **I only have a vague idea of what I'm going to do, so suggestions are much appreciated.

**Warning: Well...if you could handle the last few chapters, there isn't anything here that should scare you too much. **

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"Wake up, my beautiful hunk-man!!!"

Morgan's eyes snapped open at the sound of Garcia's voice. Of course, the first thought to go through his head was, '_how the hell am I going to explain sharing a bed with Reid?' _of course, that thought was soon followed by, '_wait, how'd she get in, and where is Reid?'_ Looking around groggily, Morgan caught sight of Reid standing behind Morgan, looking apologetic, while simultaneously failing at suppressing a huge grin. Groaning, Morgan sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Pretty Boy, why didn't you get me up?" Morgan snapped, trying to hold back a yawn.

"I did. I told you that Garcia would be over soon. You said, and I quote, 'sure, buy her some flowers,' end quote. I thought you were awake when I left to get the flowers, but apparently that wasn't the case."

Garcia was giggling unashamedly, and it was now that Morgan caught sight of the white lilies she held. "I was wondering why Boy-Genius gave me flowers. Does he always talk in his sleep?" Morgan rolled his eyes, and got out of bed, stretching his back. He held in a grin at Reid's obvious oogling, and slipped on a tee-shirt, before pulling Garcia into a hug.

"Baby-Girl, you know I only talk in my sleep when I'm dreaming about you." Garcia giggled, while in the doorway, Kevin Lynch coughed loudly, and across the room, Reid cleared his throat. Morgan laughed, and let go of Garcia, gently pushing her towards Kevin, who came up beside her to wrap his arm around her shoulders protectively. Morgan and him had always gotten along fine, and Kevin definitely understood that nothing was going to happen between Morgan and Garcia, but it didn't stop him from occasionally getting possessive.

"So, uh, how have you two been doing?" Kevin asked, rocking back onto the balls of his feet.

"We've been good," Reid squeaked.

"Any idea why the Hotch-man decided to give us time off?" Garcia asked, eyeing Morgan and Reid suspiciously. Morgan glanced at Reid, still wondering if it was a good idea to keep the whole thing a secret from Garcia when the rest of the team already knew. Reid just shrugged, and put on a forced smile.

"No idea, but I'm not going to complain," Reid said, in a small voice. Garcia frowned, and began to walk towards him, opening her mouth to ask something, but then Kevin's watch went off, and he quickly pulled her to his side.

"Well, our flight is leaving soon, so we'd better get going," Kevin said, sounding apologetic.

"Alright, you two have fun in Mexico. You take care of my sexy girl, Kevin, or I'm going to have to hunt you down, and do something unpleasant." Keven smiled, and nodded.

"Don't worry, Derek. I will take _extra special_ care with her," said Kevin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Garcia just giggled again, and led Kevin out with her, yelling, "bye mocha-hottie! Bye sexy-brain!" Once they left, Morgan flopped back down onto the bed. Feeling the mattress dip, he opened his eyes to see Reid looking at him with a half-confused, half-annoyed expression.

"What is it, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked. Reid stuck out his lower lip, and folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't think I like being called 'sexy-brain'," Reid muttered. Morgan's eyebrows flew up, because, although it was obvious Reid was telling the truth, it was also obvious there was something else bugging him.

"You know she's just saying the first thing that comes to her head, right?" Morgan asked, sitting up. Reid just nodded, picking at non-existant fluff on the knee of his pants.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Morgan thought that over for a moment, putting an arm around Reid's waist. "I'll just tell her not to use that one anymore. Now, are you going to tell me what's really bothering you? You were fine just a minute ago. What happened to get you all grumpy?" Reid pressed his lips together, looking cuter than anyone should while pouting.

"It's nothing...you'll think I'm being stupid."

"No, I won't. I love you, and I'll do everything I can to understand how you're feeling, but I can only do that if you tell me what's bothering you."

"You love me?" Reid asked, frowning down at his knees. Morgan resisted the urge to smack Reid over the side of the head, frustrated that, even after all the cuddling, and reassurances, Reid still didn't believe that Morgan loved him.

"Spencer, we talked about this. Yes, I love you." Morgan accentuated his point by kissing Reid on the cheek. Reid smiled now, still staring at his knees. When he didn't answer, Morgan tried asking again. "Tell me what's wrong."

Reid shook his head, biting his lip before looking at Morgan through his bangs, his gaze shy. "It's...it's nothing. I guess I just need to hear you say that."

"Spencer, are you jealous of the way I was talking to Garcia?"

Reid blushed furiously, his pout returning as he went back to picking imaginary fluff off of his pants. "No! I mean...I know that's just how you two talk. It doesn't bother me."

"Alright. But if there is something that does bother you, tell me so I can fix it."

They spent the rest of the morning getting breakfast, lounging and watching movies, while commenting on the lack of activities available for off-duty profilers. About noon, a knock sounded at the door, so Morgan reluctantly got up to answer it. He was only mildly surprised to see Rossi at the door, holding a vase full white rosebuds and yellow daffodils. Morgan took in a deep breath through his nose, and let it out slowly, trying not to laugh at how uncharacteristically awkward Rossi looked.

"God, Dave. I hope those aren't for me."

"Don't be stupid, Derek. They're for Reid. I feel bad about being an ass to him," Rossi snapped, his eyes narrowing. Morgan shrugged.

"Well, he's in the living room if you want to hear him site the impossibilities and improbabilities involving the workings of Iron Man's suit." Rossi grumbled something under his breath, and walked past Morgan, going into the living room. Morgan followed, standing in the doorway as Rossi sat down on the couch next to Reid, setting the flowers on the table. Reid momentarily didn't notice his presence, glaring fixatedly at the screen. Once he did notice Rossi, he jumped slightly.

"I came to apologize..." Rossi began.

"Rossi, you don't have to apologize for what happened at work..." Reid suddenly caught sight of the flowers, and his cheeks turned pink as he pressed his lips together. Seeing Rossi make Reid blush brought out Morgan's possessive streak, and it was all he could do to not pick up Rossi, and his flowers, and chuck them out the window. But then Reid's expression shifted, and he looked somewhere between embarrassed and irritated.

"Rossi, why'd you pick this combination?" Reid asked, his eyebrows knitting together. Rossi's eyes widened, obviously realizing that if he were going to give flowers to Dr. Spencer Reid, he really ought to know what they symbolized first.

"It was on discount. I swear, I have no idea what they represent." It was almost comical, really. David Rossi, profiler extrodinair, scourge to serial killers, sounded suddenly terrified at the prospect of insulting Reid with flowers. Reid was scrutinizing the flowers, as if trying to decide whether or not to forgive Rossi for his ignorance when it came to flower meanings. Forgiveness seemed to win out.

"Well, thank you for the gesture. I really wasn't all that mad in the first place. I suppose I should apologize for hitting you." Reid smiled apologetically, and Rossi looked immensely relieved, his shoulders relaxing.

"It's fine, Reid." Rossi stood, running his hand over the side of his face. "I guess I should leave you alone so you can enjoy your time off." Rossi then turned and left, nodding at Morgan as he did so. Once Rossi had left, Morgan sat down, eyeing the flowers.

"Alright, kid. What do they represent?"

"Daffodils represent unrequited love."

"And the roses?" Morgan asked, quirking an eyebrow. Reid's face scrunched up, and he eyed the flowers with something akin to hate, while his cheeks turned pink once more.

"White rosebuds represent girlhood. Don't you dare laugh." Reid turned his glare to Morgan when a chuckle began to form in Morgan's throat. "I know I may not be the quintessent representation of masculinity, but I swear to god, if you ever compare me to a _girl, _I will not hesitate to violently assault you."

Morgan put up his hands defensively, shaking his head. Reid sometimes _looked _effeminite, but he never acted that way. He wasn't a he-man, but he definitely didn't act like a woman. "Spencer, trust me, I'd never compare you to a girl."

"Good." Reid leaned over and kissed Morgan's cheek, just as his cell went off. Reid pulled it out, and frowned before answering. "Hey, JJ....Um, yeah, I guess so. Should I bring Morgan...? Okay, see you later." Reid snapped his phone shut, letting out a small sigh. "JJ and Emily want us to meet them at a bar later tonight. How much longer do you think it will be until everyone realizes I'm okay?"

"Well, are you okay?" Morgan asked. Reid ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath.

"Yes, Morgan, I'm okay. I'm just uncomfortable with...well, you know."

Once Morgan had gotten ready to go, they left the house to go to the bar. Reid fidgeted and mumbled to himself the entire way there. Morgan didn't order anything, planning on being the designated driver, and Reid ordered a beer, before they went to look for the girls. Reid put on a fake smile once they saw JJ and Prentiss at a table in the back near the dart board. They were both leaning over their table, holding their drinks with both hands, and wearing matching grim expressions. They both looked up at the same time, and forced smiles.

"Hey!" Reid greeted pleasantly, sitting down next to JJ.

"Hey, Spence," JJ said shakily. She put her hand on his arm, just lightly, and her smile eased to something more natural when he didn't flinch away. "How you doing?" she asked. Emily was looking in JJ and Reid's general direction, obviously a little more intoxicated than JJ. She didn't even notice when Morgan took up the seat between her and Reid.

"I'm doing good. How are Will and Henry?" Reid asked, taking a sip of beer, grimacing and glancing at the cup, and then taking another sip.

"They're good. Hey, can I talk to you in private, just for a minute?" JJ asked nervously. Reid shrugged, and they both got up and walked away. Prentiss turned to Morgan, apparently noticing him for the first time since he'd sat down. She looked utterly drunk, confused, worried, and heart-broken all at the same time, and it was all Morgan could do to put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Emily, he's okay, really," Morgan consoled, hoping to sound convincing enough to a drunk woman to ease her worry. Prentiss shook her head, and took a long drink off of her beer.

"That does't make it right. I's not fair to Reid. I can't...i's gettin' to be too much. Derek..." she turned, practically slumping into Morgan's lap, her cheek pillowed against his shoulder. She lifted herself back up, and sloppily pushed her mouth towards Morgan's, nearly missing as she did so. Morgan gave a gentle attempt to push her away, but, even drunk, Prentiss was very insistant. Morgan pushed her away, harder, and this time it worked. She stared at him blankly, her lips parted. "Derek, please, I jus'-" she paused, looking past Morgan, over his shoulder. Morgan spun around in his chair, and his jaw dropped. Why did Reid and JJ have to show up _now_? It was like a cliche scene from the movies, and Morgan was so stunned at the timing, that all he could do was stare at Reid and JJ, gaping like a fish out of water. Reid was still smiling pleasantly, but Morgan could see that he was confused.

"Wow, Em, you're really drunk!" Reid laughed, but it was uneasy, like he wasn't sure if it was funny or not. Reid put his half-full glass of beer on the table, and then stood up straight, fiddling nervously with his hands, starting to look unsure of himself.

"You'okay, Reid? You'er raped...people aren' okay after stuff like that..." Reid's eyes widened, and he started at her, open-mouthed. JJ took in a sharp breath, and walked over to Prentiss, tugging her to her feet.

"Maybe I should get you a cab," JJ suggested. Prentiss just nodded, so JJ turned back to Reid and Morgan. "I guess I'll just take her home...sorry I let her get so drunk...I'll see you two later." Reid nodded, and waited until the two of them had left to turn to Morgan, staring at the ground, and wringing his hands together.

"I want to go home," Reid stated, matter-of-factly. Morgan just nodded, and the two of them left the bar, getting into the car.

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**TBC...**

**A/N: Okay...sorry about Prentiss' drunk, ooc-ness. Just had to. Also, the next chapter will also take a few more days, since my laptop's still down...I'm pretty sure my parent's computer is possessed, or something. It makes weird sounds.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds

**A/N: **It's going to be short, because, once again, I'm suffering from writer's block. I know where I'm going with this, I just don't know how to get there. Also, thank you to all of my reviewers, again, you are all absolutely wonderful.

**Warning: Graphic flashback in this chapter, don't read if it will bother you.**

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Morgan took a deep breath, preparing himself to give Reid an explanation for what had happened, but, for the tenth time since they had gotten into the car, he simply let it out, not finding words. Reid was looking out of the car window, with his forehead pressed against the glass, looking utterly miserable. Morgan gritted his teeth, and tried to think of something to make Reid feel better, but coming up with nothing. Morgan was beginning to hate car rides, as they usually were made up of awkward silences, and followed tense situations. Forcing in another deep breath, Morgan forced himself to speak.

"Reid, she was drunk, and...well, I didn't really expect her to do that, but I swear to god-" Morgan began, but Reid interrupted him.

"Morgan, it's okay, really. I'm not mad about you and Emily kissing. You did look rather shocked by it, and not to mention we aren't really an established couple."

"What? Reid, what the hell do you mean by that?" Morgan asked as he pulled into the drive way. He shut of the headlights, and turned to look at Reid, the silhouette of his profile marked out in the sodium beam of the streetlamps. Reid shifted, and pulled open the car door, stepping out into the driveway, ignoring the question. With a frustrated sigh, Morgan got out of the car, slamming the door shut.

"What? Reid, what the hell do you mean by that?" Morgan asked as he pulled into the drive way. He shut of the headlights, and turned to look at Reid, the silhouette of his profile marked out in the sodium beam of the streetlamps. Reid shifted, and pulled open the car door, stepping out into the driveway, ignoring the question. With a frustrated sigh, Morgan got out of the car, slamming the door shut.

"Spencer, don't ignore me!" Morgan yelled as Reid jogged up to the front door.

"Calm down, Morgan, I'm not trying to upset you. We just haven't really gotten the chance to work out the logistics of our relationship yet," Reid muttered, opening the door to the house.

"What's there to work out?" Morgan asked, confusedly. Reid just shook his head, taking off his shoes, coat and bag as he walked into the entryway.

"You were clear on how you felt, Morgan. It's sweet, really, it is, but I'm not sure if..." Reid paused, sticking his hands into his pockets as he walked into the living room. Morgan followed, his gut twisting.

"What do you mean you're not sure? You seemed pretty sure when you kissed me." Morgan couldn't stop his voice from sounding bitter. Reid slumped onto the couch, rubbing his chin.

"I wasn't really thinking...okay? We're agents...we probably shouldn't start anything...I don't know, I need to think about it...maybe we should talk about this later...It's late, and I'm exhausted." Reid didn't wait for Morgan to add anything before getting up and walking swiftly out of the room, heading to his bedroom. He changed quickly, pulling on a pair of green flannel pajamas before crawling into bed. His head was spinning, and he felt sick, both from what Prentiss had said, and from what he'd said to Morgan. Reid closed his eyes, exhaustion weighing on his body like a lead vest, and he quickly fell asleep, dreams taking the place of reality as the room faded away.

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_Reid tries to force his body to move, to fight, and to resist, but finds himself completely paralyzed, unable to do anything except stare forward at white drywall. He can't see what's going on behind him, but he can hear his captor behind him, rummaging through something, knocking things over. There is the occasional click of the man's cane against the concrete floor, and then it is quiet, and all Reid can do is focus on the pain in his arms, holding up the weight of his limp body, which is suspended by ropes over a mattress, leaving him slumped on his knees. He tries to think logically, to figure out a way out of the situation, but not even logic offers him hope. He's bound, and paralyzed to boot. He can't even speak, his throat feels tight, and his lips won't move. Reid knows he has no chance of escaping, and the thought alone is more terrifying than anything else that has happened thus far.  
_

_The steady click of a cane returns, and the bed he's on dips, followed by the feel and sound of a knife cutting his clothing. It isn't a rushed, manic shredding of clothes. Down the front of his sweater-vest and across the tops of the shoulders, as if trying to leave the clothing as wearable as possible, without removing the ropes on his arms. Next to go is his shirt, carefully unbuttoned before the tops of the sleeves are cut, going from the wrist to where the shirt stops at his neck. And it's cold, cold, cold, and Reid tries to focus on the cold air and nothing else as his shirt is removed. Reid wishes there was something besides drywall in front of him to focus on, because now there are hands on his skin, touching, nails scraping, and Reid has never missed his sweater-vest so much before. He vainly tries to pretend he's somewhere else, but can't bring his mind to leave the cold garage, even for the sake of his sanity.  
_

_The knife is gone, and Reid tries to ignore his sudden nudity as he slacks are pushed down, stopping at his knees. Cold, cold, cold, but this time he wishes he could ignore it, along with the white hot pain. His abductor is whispering something into his ear, and Reid knows from the tone it's nothing good, but he can't quite focus on the words enough to understand them. A hand is moving over his body again, and all he wants to do is scream, but he can't...someone's screaming, though, and it's an unfamiliar sound, in a familiar voice. The hoarse, broken screaming gets louder and clearer, but the pain fades, and the hands disappear.  
_

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Reid woke, and realized that he was screaming, and Morgan was shaking him, nearly lifting him off of the bed. Reid's screams turned into a heavy pant, and Reid blinked, staring wide-eyed into the darkness until his eyes adjusted, and Morgan's frightened face came into view. There was a heavy bruise on Morgan's jaw, and Reid felt his stomach churn, realizing he must have flailed out while sleeping and punched Morgan in the face.

"Reid, kid...come on, talk to me, please," Morgan pleaded, panic seeping into his voice, loosening his hold on Reid's shoulders. Reid tipped his head down, wrapping his arms around himself, and opened his mouth wide, taking in as much oxygen as he could. However, he found that his throat was so tight that he couldn't get words out, only a small, keening noise. Reid pushed his face into Morgan chest, and screamed, just once more, just to free his voice box.

"I-I had...I had a nightmare," Reid gasped, his fingers digging into Morgan's biceps. Morgan just nodded, settling his hands on Reid's back.

"You gave me a fucking heart attack," Morgan muttered, unable to keep his voice steady. He couldn't remember ever being as frightened as he had when he had come into the house after walking Clooney, only to be greeted to the sound of Reid screaming. His heart was still pounding frantically in his chest, and he found himself pushing his palms against Reid's back, focusing on the frantic rise and fall of his rib-cage.

"I'm sorry," Reid muttered, closing his eyes and trying to relax so he could get his breathing under control. "I guess the case just brought all of the memories back." Reid swallowed against the lump in his throat, and pulled away from Morgan.

"You okay?" Morgan asked, letting Reid pull away. Reid shook his head, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

"I thought I was done having nightmares about it," Reid muttered, grabbing some blankets and pulling them around himself. Morgan watched as Reid took in a few slowing, shaking breaths, hugging the blankets to his chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Morgan asked.

"No...could you stay though?" Reid asked. Morgan frowned slightly, hesitating, but nodded, and took off his socks and shoes, before lifting the covers and crawling in next to Reid. He wondered how many nights Reid would need him like this. Reid must have noticed his hesitation, and realized the reason behind it. "I-I'm sorry...you really don't have to...if it would make you uncomfortable."

Although he knew that he should probably stay, Morgan nodded, and got out of the bed. "It does, man. You said you didn't want a relationship, but now you want me to crawl into bed with you?" Morgan paused, running his hand over his scalp. "I know you're going through a rough time, but that's no excuse for being a damned tease." Morgan knew it was unfair, that Reid had just been looking for a little comfort, but he was tired, stressed, and frustrated. So, knowing that Reid was probably ten times as tired, stressed, and frustrated as himself, Morgan went to his own room, where he wouldn't have to deal with an emotionally wrecked young man who needed his help.

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**TBC...**

**A/N: I've got my laptop back in service, but I'm having some difficulties writing this, so I might take a week or two off from this to write some other stories, and hopefully that will help me get out of this rut I'm in with writing this. Don't know why Morgan is so bipolar, and why he keeps being mean so mean to Reid...  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N:** Gah…I'm not very good at writing angst, but for some reason, I continue to try. I blame my sister for this chapter. I asked her 'if two men were in a relationship, what would they fight about?' The fight in this chapter was her idea.

**Warning: **Another M+ rated chapter. Also, it's not happy. You won't need tissues, but I recommend reading something happier afterwards to cheer up.

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"Morgan?"

Morgan ignored the small voice floating into his bedroom from his doorway, and pretended that he was still asleep. He could still feel Reid's presence, hovering timidly in the doorway, but he didn't want to deal with it right now. Reid was right to want to think about it, but it had been four days, wasn't that enough time? Of course, for two of those days, they had been chasing down the man who had raped Reid…

"Derek, I know you're awake…please don't ignore me. I'm sorry about what I said earlier…I-I'm sorry if you feel like I was, um, teasing you. I didn't mean to…" As Reid talked, Morgan could hear his soft footsteps approaching the bed. "Please, don't be mad…I'm sorry." Morgan was lying on his side, facing away from Reid, so even if he opened his eyes, he wouldn't see him. Still, he could still feel the bed dip as Reid sat next to him. "Derek…I really do…like you. I just needed to think about everything." Groaning in protest, Morgan rolled over and sat up, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"Reid, just forget about it man…you are stressed out, and I understand that. But it's obvious you're just going to go around in circles on this, so let's just forget that I ever told you I loved you." Reid's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. After simply staring at Morgan, dumbfounded for a couple seconds, he seemed to find his voice, but it was small, almost inaudible.

"Derek...I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure…because we work together."

"It didn't bother you before," Morgan snapped, glaring.

"I know. Please, it was just the case, it really got to me. I want to…to be with you. In a relationship…I'll try, I promise… Please…" Reid whispered the last word, leaning in towards Morgan, turning and moving his legs so they were under him. Timidly, Reid reached out, putting his hands palm down on Morgan's shoulders. He could feel Morgan watching him, almost angry, but he forced himself to ignore that, closing his eyes and leaning in to place a tender, hesitant kiss on Morgan's lips. He was surprised when Morgan immediately returned it. Reid forced himself to remain relaxed as Morgan's arms slipped around him, his hands pressing against his back, rubbing against the material of his shirt. Reid trembled and forced himself not to squirm away, focusing all of his attention on the kiss.

Reid kissed Morgan more desperately as he felt Morgan's hand slip beneath his shirt, and Reid moved his hands feverishly across Morgan's chest and shoulders. When Morgan pulled him against his body, so Reid was straddling his lap, the words _wait_ and _stop_ were near the front of Reid's mind, but instead of saying them aloud, he simply pressed his lips more roughly against Morgan's, keeping in any words or sounds he might've let out. Clothing was shed, and Reid bit his lips together to keep quiet as lips, hands and fingers descended on his skin, probing, touching, pushing. Awkward angles were adjusted to accommodate long limbs. After only a few minutes of the heavy sound of skin slapping against skin, and Morgan's grunts, groans, and whispered words of endearments, Morgan was pulled over the edge, deep inside of Reid. Barely remembering his name, Morgan pulled out, pulling off the condom and knotting it before tossing it into the trash by the bed and slumping onto his back next to Reid, vaguely aware that he probably shouldn't collapse on top of Reid.

After a minute or two of composing himself, Morgan rolled to his side, wrapping a hand around Reid's cock, pulling and squeezing, but even after another few minutes, Reid still wasn't even close, his lips still caught between his teeth, his body relaxed but unmoving on the bed. Feeling Morgan pause his movements, Reid pries his eyes open, and forces his over-tense jaw to loosen so he can release his abused lips from between his teeth.

"Derek…just, I'm not…shit, this isn't really working." Morgan immediately let's go of Reid, staring blankly at him. Reid let out a frustrated sigh, sitting up and pushing his hair away from his face.

"Spencer, what the…were you even here for this? God, I've seen Hotch get more enjoyment eating a sandwich than you were getting just now."

"I'm sorry…" Reid mumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest and leaning against the headboard. _Shit_…he really hadn't expected to have an argument tonight. He had wanted to make Morgan _happy_, not royally piss him off. Morgan just sat up, running his hands over his scalp, pointedly not looking at Reid, and when he spoke, his voice was just a little cold.

"I bet you are. Kid, if you're so desperate for affection you'll let someone fuck you, you're more messed up than I thought you were."

"Wh-what?! No! That's not…" Reid stared at Morgan, gaping like a fish out of water. Okay, it was almost true. He hadn't really been too excited for the sex, and he'd just been hoping it would result in Morgan holding him so he could get some sleep…but he really did like Morgan. Reid hugged his knees tighter, realizing that…god, Morgan was right, in his own way.

"Whatever, man. Just get out."

"But…Derek, please…"

"I said get out!"

Reid jumped, staring wide-eyed at Morgan, still not moving. _No, no, no, no…_Morgan couldn't really be kicking him out now…Reid was shocked when Morgan suddenly grabbed his arm, yanking him halfway across the bed before standing and using his free hand to point irately at the doorway.

"I said _get out_," Morgan hissed, pulling at Reid's arm again. Reid stared up at him beseechingly, but seeing no pity in Morgan's expression, Reid stood, his breathing becoming erratic.

"F-fine!!!" Reid screamed. He wiped his eyes on his arm, looking away as he gathered his clothes, hurriedly putting them on. "Why the fuck would I w-want to stay with you anyways?" he sobbed hysterically. Once he was fully clothed, he hurried out through the doorway, not looking back at Morgan. "Y-you'll just…you'll just hurt me some more, won't you Morgan!" Reid screamed as he stomped down the hallway, wiping his face with his sleeve. He knew Morgan could hear him, he was screaming at the top of his lungs, after all, but Morgan didn't reply. Grabbing a clean pair of clothes from his room, Reid practically ran to the bathroom, ripping his clothes off again to step into the shower, manically washing the traces of sweat and sex from his skin. After five minutes under the hot water, Reid stepped out of the shower and put on the clean clothes, his mind made up. Storming down the hallway, Reid put on his shoes and jacket once he was in the entryway, and then walked outside. He didn't care that it was nearly four o'clock in the morning, or that his hair was still wet, or that his eyes were red and puffy, or that he looked near manic with hysteria. All that mattered was getting as far away from here as possible….

"Reid? What the hell are you doing awake?" Reid's head jerked up, and his eyes widened as he saw Hotch walking towards him. A quick look confirmed that his car was parked at the curb. Panic set in, and Reid quickly turned to run down the street. However, Reid hadn't even made it half a block before Hotch caught up to him, grabbing him firmly, and holding him against his chest. Instead of fighting the touch, Reid instinctively relaxed. This was, after all, what he had wanted tonight, just someone to hold him…not touch, just hold him.

Suddenly Hotch let go, and Reid whimpered slightly, quickly turning his eyes downwards. "Reid…what is going on?" Hotch asked firmly, but Reid could hear the underlying concern in his voice. "It's…" Hotch glanced at his watch. "Nearly four in the morning…you should be in bed."

"I wanted to take a walk…" Reid muttered.

"Reid, you look upset, and you tried to run away when you saw me…" Hotch began, walking Reid back towards the house. He was speaking slowly, as if unsure of what to make of the situation. "What happened?"

"N-nothing…I just…" Reid paused. He had a feeling telling Hotch what had actually happened would most likely make things worse. "I had a nightmare…and I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to take a walk." They reached the front door of the house, and Reid opened it cautiously. Immediately, the sound of Morgan yelling floated through the doorway, causing Reid to stiffen.

"Reid!!! REID!!! Where the fuck did you go!!!" There was the sound of something crashing, and it was more than obvious that Morgan was beyond pissed off. Reid couldn't help but look over at Hotch, who was staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the empty entryway, his face pale. He closed his mouth with an audible click, his lips pressing together firmly.

"I came here to ask Morgan how you were doing. I didn't want to bother you unless he thought you were up to a visit, so I thought I'd come over when you were asleep…" Hotch said, as if talking to himself. Morgan suddenly appeared in the hallway leading to the door (thankfully dressed again), and stopped dead, staring at Hotch. Hotch broke Morgan's gaze, turning to Reid, who looked from Hotch to Morgan, gaping slightly.

"I-I forgot to tell him I was going out for a walk, that's all…really, Hotch, it's not-"

Hotch held up his hand, signaling for Reid to stop. At this point, Morgan looked mortified rather than angry, and all Reid wanted to do was bolt. "I don't want to hear excuses. I'm not stupid, I have a good idea as to what's going on here." Hotch was looking pointedly at Morgan now, his expression darkening. He was silent for a moment, but then he continued, turning to Reid. "Go get your go-bag. We'll get the rest of your stuff tomorrow." His tone left no room for argument, so, hanging his head ashamedly, Reid walked into the house, shuffling awkwardly past Morgan before going to the laundry room to pick up his go-bag. When he left the laundry room, he headed straight towards the front door, but found neither Morgan, nor Hotch. Hearing a heated argument in Morgan's room, Reid decided to stay where he was and wait for Hotch. Ten minutes later, Hotch emerged, his fists clenched at his sides, and Reid winced inwardly, but didn't say anything.

"Come on, Reid, let's go."

"But, Hotch, it's not what you think, he was just-" Reid wasn't sure why, but he was suddenly very reluctantly to leave Morgan, even after what had happened. Hotch stopped in the doorway, pinching the bridge of his nose momentarily before putting his hand down, staring out at the street.

"Reid, don't do this to yourself. Let's go."

Reid wanted to argue, still wanted to stay with Morgan, but he knew Hotch wasn't going to let him, not now. Hugging his go-bag to his chest, Reid followed Hotch out, only turning to close the door. Reid looked away when he saw Morgan staring at him from down the hallway, his lip split and bleeding. Reid paused, looking up at him once more, hoping to see forgiveness. Not seeing it, Reid reluctantly closed the door the rest of the way, turning to join Hotch, getting silently into the car.

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**TBC…**

**A/N: Nnnn…tired again. I think I just do my best work at one in the morning while listening to My Chemical Romance and Jason Mraz…yeah, it's kinda late…We really have to stop meeting like this…sorry, I dunno what I'm talking about. Reviews for this chapter would be much appreciated, because I'm not really sure if I was right in taking the story in **_**this**_** direction, if you know what I mean. Don't worry, it's still Morgan/Reid, surprisingly, but there's a new twist on it now.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N: **Thank you all for your reviews and supports. Special thanks to Lago. I really need some constructive criticism every now and again. I'll try to work on the ooc-ness, amongst other things. I realize my Morgan is not very Morgan-like, or likable for that matter, and I will work on it. Also, thank you to Bookworm. He/she pretty much nailed my thought process on the head, which is something I can't even do. Helped my sort out my thoughts. Hopefully I will be able to redeem myself, and my Morgan in the next couple of chapters. Wasn't really sure what I was thinking last night.

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Reid squirmed in his seat as Hotch drove, biting his lip and wringing his hands together.

"Hotch…please, I need to talk to him."

Hotch shook his head, his fingers tightening against the steering wheel. "Reid, I'm not letting you go there. I went to the bedroom. It's obvious what went on there, and, quite frankly, I seriously doubt you would willingly start a sexual encounter after what happened." Reid looked away, feeling embarrassed, and ashamed, amongst other things. Well, if he'd already figured it out, there was no use lying.

"I-I did start it though…" Reid began. He could see the disbelief on Hotch's face, but he continued. "I did, Hotch! I know you don't understand…it's kind of complicated. I could see that he…wanted to…" God, he couldn't believe he was talking to his boss about this. "I initiated it…I know I shouldn't have…I really messed up, it's not his fault…and then I took off without saying anything, I probably freaked him out…please let me go home, Hotch."

Hotch pulled into the driveway to his house, parking and turning off the ignition in silence. Reid couldn't tell what Hotch was thinking, he never really could, but it was obvious he was deep in thought. "We'll go back tomorrow, and you can talk to him, but I'm not letting you stay the night there until I know nothing's going to happen."

Morgan mulled around the house, staring blankly at the various objects in his home. Finally, he ended up in the bathroom, cleaning up his split lip, thinking over his conversation with Hotch.

"_Morgan, what the hell happened? I came to talk to you, and I find Reid in tears? How the hell is that helping him?"_

"_Hotch, I know it looks bad…I made a mistake."_

"_You had sex with Reid. After what happened to him."_

"_I-It was a mistake. I thought…he started it, okay? I wasn't thinking. He kissed me…and I started touching him, and then…I don't know how to explain it. He just kinda lost it and started taking off my clothes, okay?"_

_The blow to Morgan's face wasn't expected, and Morgan stumbles back, putting his hand to his lip as Hotch crowds him._

"_Don't you dare blame this on him, Morgan."_

Thinking back, Morgan was fairly certain he'd never seen Hotch so mad, and he could understand why. If it had been someone else who had hurt Reid, Morgan would have beaten their face in. He still couldn't understand what had went so wrong. His mind returned again to the way Reid had kissed him, roughly, almost savagely. Morgan had struggled to keep up, taking the trembles running through Reid's body as a sign of want. He had thought that, maybe, after being touched and hurt by so many strangers, a familiar body, and gentle touches would be welcome. He hadn't anticipated Reid ripping off his clothes. But Hotch was right, he couldn't blame Reid. Morgan knew he should have had more restraint, and that he should have been there when Reid needed him, no questions asked.

Padding back into the bedroom, Morgan stood for a moment, staring at the bed, before turning and walking into the living room, slumping onto the couch, going over the last month in his mind. He'd just wanted to help, to pull Reid off of the streets, and what had he done? He couldn't even think about it. Morgan lay back on the couch, resting his head against the head rest, before falling asleep.

Hotch walked into the guestroom, sometime around noon, sipping his coffee. He paused in the doorway, and then walked over to the bed, shaking Reid lightly.

"Mmmmn…not getting out of bed…" Reid mumbled, rolling over onto his stomach and burying his face into the pillow. Unsure of how exactly to deal with a stubborn subordinate who wanted to stay in bed at noontime, Hotch paused before speaking.

"What if I get you coffee?"

'Coffee' must have been the magic word, because Reid immediately rolled onto his back, opening his eyes and sitting up. "I could use a cup…or two." Reid admitted, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Alright, well, come down to the kitchen, there's a pot already made." As Hotch turned to leave, he heard Reid mutter, grumpily.

"Morgan let's me drink coffee in bed."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose, because, frankly, that was the last person on earth he wanted to hear about right now. As he walked out of the room, he heard Reid huff a sigh, and then get out of bed. As he made his way downstairs to the kitchen, he could hear Reid padding softly behind him. As Reid poured himself a cup of coffee, Hotch put some toast in the toaster, taking a jar of jelly out of the fridge. He honestly didn't know how to cook, but he still wanted to make sure Reid ate something.

"When are we going to see Morgan?" Reid asked, determination in his voice as he began sipping his coffee.

"I thought we'd wait awhile, Reid," Hotch answered blandly. He still wasn't sure about how to deal with the situation. He knew he should fire Morgan, but had a feeling that wouldn't truly help Reid. What Reid needed was someone to comfort him, and make him feel strong, and in control. Morgan hadn't done that, and Hotch wasn't sure he could.

"Hotch, I want to go home. You can't make me stay here," Reid was talking quickly, as if forcing the words out before he could lose the initiative to say them. Hotch put his forehead in his hand, pressing his lips together.

"Reid, I can't let you stay with Morgan any longer." Well, so much for letting Reid feel like he was in control.

"Why not?" Reid was keeping his voice down, but he was starting to sound frustrated.

"He hurt you."

"No he didn't!!!" Reid stopped, seemingly surprised that he had just yelled at his boss. He continued, in a calmer, softer voice. "It was my fault. I didn't tell him I didn't want to, I made him think that I did…it really pissed him off when he realized I didn't, but it's not his fault. And, I know I've broken quite a few rules, and I'm sorry, but I really just want to go home and talk to Morgan."

"Okay, we'll go to Morgan's. But you can't stay there anymore. I talked to Morgan on the phone this morning, and he agreed that you should stay somewhere else, for the time being. He's getting your stuff ready to go as we speak. And as for breaking the rules, I really don't care, as long you are okay, and able to function on the job."

Reid took a sip of coffee, turning away from Hotch, and trying to reign in his emotions. He wondered if Morgan had told Hotch exactly why he needed a place to stay in the first place. He doubted Morgan would tell Hotch that he'd moonlighted as a hooker to help pay for his bills, so he wasn't too worried about that. However, the thought that Morgan didn't want him to stay with him anymore was a low blow.

The two finished breakfast and coffee, Reid applying a horrendous amount of jam to his toast, and then left the house, heading for Morgan's. As they parked, Hotch turned to Reid.

"I'm going to get your stuff from the guest room and let you talk to Morgan, okay?" Reid nodded, fidgeting as he began to get nervous. "If anything happens, just leave the house." Another nod, and they got out of Hotch's car, heading for the house. Memories of the previous night flashed through Reid's mind, and he had to suck on his lower lip to keep tears from welling up in his eyes.

Morgan opened the front door to the house, looking tired and haunted. Hotch walked right past him, heading towards the guest bedroom. _Reid's _room. Morgan turned and walked towards the living room, and Reid followed nervously, sticking his hands into his pockets. Once in the room, Morgan collapsed onto the couch, throwing a hand over his eyes, and Reid wondered if talking would do him any good. Taking a deep breath, Reid shuffled over, sitting down on the couch next to Morgan, staring down at the floor.

"Derek…I'm really sorry." It didn't seem like the right thing to say, it didn't seem like enough, but it's all that Reid could think of, even after two cups of espresso.

"You keep saying that, kid, but you don't need to. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why are you so miserable?" Reid asked, shortly. Morgan removed his hand from his eyes, looking over at Reid.

"Because I told you I wouldn't hurt you, and then I did, Pretty Boy." Morgan looked away, gritting his teeth. "I hurt you, I yelled at you…god, the things I said…I didn't mean it, Reid."

"You didn't hurt me, Derek. It was…good, it really was, I just…I couldn't enjoy it, okay?" Reid forced his gaze away and looked at Morgan, swallowing thickly as he did so. For a moment, neither of them spoke, listening to the sound of Hotch moving boxes. Finally, Morgan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I should have known, Reid. After what had happened to you, I shouldn't have let things go as far as they did. I knew…I was being selfish."

"It's been nearly two months, I should be over it by now! And you weren't being selfish…you were…gentle, and you said really nice things."

"Until I realized you were faking it."

"But that's my fault, not yours."

"I shouldn't have gotten that angry…but I did…I just lost it, man…I really wanted it to be good for you, I tried…"

Reid shook his head, and stood up. Truth be told, that was what he was most upset about, that Morgan had refused to hold him afterwards. "I know, and I'm sorry that I couldn't…but, it's done now, and we'll just have to work past it, okay?" Reid asked, hopefully. Morgan looked up at him, with something akin to awe in his eyes.

"Reid, I can't let you forgive me so easily. It's not right."

Reid tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, biting his lip. "Could we at least try to work it out? I don't want to regret what happened for the rest of my life." Before Morgan could answer, Hotch's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Everything's ready to go!"

Reid glanced down the hallway, and then looked back at Morgan. "Just think about it, okay?" Not waiting for Morgan to answer, Reid turned and walked out to meet Hotch outside.

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**TBC…**

**A/N: Hope the new POV on the situation helped a little. Yes, no maybe? I dunno. Tell me what you think, give suggestions, ect. **


	16. Chapter 16

**wDisclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N: **Winding down on all the drama. The mood is lightening a bit, mostly due to 'Daddy Hotch'

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"Reid, please eat your vegetables…" Hotch sighed, cleaning his plate off in the sink. He glanced back at Reid, watching the young man sit back down with a sigh, looking at the little pile of broccoli that had come with his tv dinner. It had only been four hours since they'd left Morgan's, and he was already thinking about _grounding _Reid, as if he were some sort of kid. He'd never seen Reid act so…stubborn. It was disconcerting, and Hotch didn't know how to deal with it. There was a moment of silence, and then Reid spoke up.

"I don't like broccoli." Hotch dropped his plate into the sink with a clatter, putting his hand up to his face.

"It's good for you." Hotch was sure he'd had this conversation before, with a much younger person.

"It's disgusting." Yes, Hotch had definitely had this conversation before, with his son.

"Reid, you're worse than Jack. Please, just eat it." Hotch turned around, folding his arms across his chest, daring Reid to argue. Reid just stared at his broccoli, wrinkling his nose, obviously fighting with himself as to whether or not he should continue the argument. He gave a resigned sigh and began eating the broccoli. Relieved, Hotch walked out of the room, taking out his cell phone. He went upstairs to his room, dialing the number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi…Morgan. Are there any types of vegetables that Reid actually likes?" Hotch asked. He didn't want to talk to Morgan, he was still angry, but he didn't want to have to argue with Reid every time he made dinner. There was a pause on the other line.

"_Corn, salad. Asparagus. He'll eat the vegetables in tv dinners, except for broccoli."_ Hotch made a mental note to never get broccoli tv dinners again. Without another word, Hotch hung up, shoving the phone into his pocket. "I might have to learn to cook," Hotch muttered to himself, running his fingers through his hair. Just then his phone rang, and he took it back out.

"Hotch." He said, his voice short.

"_Hotch? Morgan said Reid's with you. What's going on?"_ Prentiss sounded professional, as always, but a little tired.

"Yeah, Reid's here. I-" It would be so easy to tell Prentiss that Morgan had hurt Reid, and let her tell the others, letting them direct their anger towards him, and ruining team dynamic in the process, but Hotch knew that Reid wouldn't want that, and that it would make him feel even more awkward around the team after everything that had happened. But what to tell her? "Morgan was driving Reid nuts. You know how he can be. Reid needed a calmer environment."

"_Oh…but, it wasn't Morgan's idea to go out for drinks last night…Hotch, me and JJ asked him to go out. We should have just visited them at home. I got out of hand, I'm sorry." _Hotch frowned, unsure of what she was talking about. What else had Reid been through last night?

"Emily, I haven't heard about any of this, so you're just going to have to tell me what happened."

"_We asked them to come and have drinks with us at a bar. I was…really drunk. And Reid was in a really good mood when he came in, but then I blurted out that he'd been raped…I think I really upset him…god, I was acting so stupid…I need to apologize to Reid and Morgan…god, I can't believe I made out with Morgan…"_

"What? Emily…" Hotch paused, closing his eyes and calming himself down. "Never mind. He's had a long day, but I'm sure he'd like to talk to you. Could you come over tomorrow?"

"_Yeah, I think that's a good idea. I'll see you two tomorrow."_

Hotch hung up, and walked back down stairs, and found Reid curled up on the couch on the side, watching a program on the Science channel outlining String Theory. He looked mildly bored, and Hotch was fairly certain he already knew the material the show was presenting. Taking a seat in the large easy-chair in the corner, Hotch waited for a commercial before addressing Reid.

"Spencer, why didn't you tell me about what happened with Emily at the bar?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, that." Reid sat up, pushing his hair out of his face. He stared at the tv for a couple seconds longer, before turning to Hotch, looking tired, with dark rings under his eyes, despite the fact it was still early. "I guess I forgot. It was no big deal, really."

"Emily called, and told me what happened. I wouldn't blame you for being upset."

"I'm not upset at Emily," Reid snapped, glaring at Hotch.

"I didn't say that, Reid. You of all people should know that it's possible to be upset, without being upset _at _someone." Hotch waited, and sure enough, Reid dropped his glare, staring down at his mismatched socks.

"She kissed Morgan," Reid muttered. It took all of Hotch's experience as a stone-faced lawyer and FBI agent not to roll his eyes. Since when had Reid become so attached to Morgan? It didn't seem right, after what he'd seen last night, but reprimanding Reid for having feelings for Morgan didn't seem right either.

"You shouldn't be surprised at Morgan's lack of judgment." At that, Reid turned to Hotch, rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't a matter of Derek's lack of judgment. I saw what happened. Emily was drunk, and she practically lunged at him. He just pushed her off, so it wasn't his fault."

"Okay, if you're sure." At least he could rule out cheating from the list of mistakes Morgan had made with Reid. "But you were still upset about it." Reid shifted, swallowing.

"Yeah, I guess so." Reid admitted softly. "I wasn't mad at either of them, I knew it wasn't anyone's fault. But seeing it just…I don't know, made me feel like, maybe I wasn't good enough. I'd never gotten that…um, affectionate with him. It made me feel like I wasn't enough for him. I know it's illogical, but I couldn't help but feel that way." Reid pulled his legs up onto the couch, pulling them against his chest, looking devastated. "And now...now I've made things even worse. I really messed up, Hotch."

"No, Reid, you didn't," Hotch consoled, getting up and walking over to the couch. He sat down, and after a moment of thought, put a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"So you think I was right to have led Morgan to believe I wanted to have sex with him?" Reid asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He wouldn't look at Hotch now, staring tight-lipped at the tv.

"No…" Hotch conceded, shaking his head. "But you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. You made a mistake. All that matters now is getting past it." Reid nodded, so Hotch decided to drop the subject, for the time being. Giving Reid's shoulder a gentle squeeze, he stood up. "I'm going to the store, is there anything you need?" Reid just shook his head, staring at the floor again. "You sure? I could get…" Hotch paused, mentally going over a list of acceptable comfort foods that Reid might like. "Ice cream?" Reid glanced up at him, looking curious, and a little bit happier than before.

"What kind?"

"What kind do you want?" Hotch asked, keeping the exasperation out of his voice. Surely Reid knew he wasn't getting the ice cream for himself. Still, it was endearing to see him perk up over something as simple as ice cream. It reminded Hotch of how young Reid was sometimes.

"Ummm…" Reid looked away, biting his lip, as if picking the wrong ice cream flavor could hold some sort of dire consequence. When he looked back up at Hotch, he seemed uncertain, tilting his head to the side. "Could you get Moose Tracks?" Hotch nodded, and turned away, grabbing his jacket as he left the room. As soon as he had turned his back to Reid, he'd allowed a grin to plaster itself to his face, unable to push it away.

Once the front door of the house closed, Reid jumped to his feet, and ran to the guest bedroom, snatching his phone off of the dresser. He bit his lip, and then dialed Morgan's number, putting the phone to his ear shakily.

"_Spencer? Why are you calling me? I just saw you a couple hours ago…"_

"Ummm…sorry, I just wanted to talk to you," Reid answered sheepishly.

"_Spencer…"_ Reid bit his lip, not liking the tone of voice Morgan used. "_I thought about it…I don't think we should…you know. Be in a relationship."_ Reid sucked in a breath, and sat down on the bed, shaking his head.

"Oh…okay. If…I mean, if that's what you want."

"_I'm sorry, Spencer…I just don't think I could live with myself if I did something to hurt you again. I just want you to be happy, and I don't think you can be happy with me."_

"But I was happy with you! Well, not last night, but most of the time…" Reid stopped, not wanting to sound desperate. He paused to think for a second before he continued. "How about a date?"

"_What?"_

"I'm asking you out on a date. Will you go out with me? I'm not asking for any sort of commitment, just a date."

"_Spencer, I don't see how that's any better…"_

"Just a yes or no would be fine. Will you go out with me?"

"_No."_

"W-what?"

"_I said no, Reid. I won't go out with you."_

"Fine." Reid then snapped the phone shut, ignoring the sense of failure he felt. He had really hoped that would work. He sat in his room, silently, until he heard the front door open. Setting his cell back down on the dresser, he walked downstairs and sullenly began to help Hotch put away the groceries, before going out to the living room, sitting down to watch tv. Frowning, and wondering what could've happened to end the good mood he'd left Reid with, Hotch followed him into the living room, carrying two bowls and spoons, and the gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream. He watched Reid stare blankly at the tv, before it clicked, and he sat down.

"You talked to Morgan." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, sir." The sarcasm was back, but Hotch ignored it, shoveling ice cream into one of the bowls.

"What did he do to upset you?"

"I asked him out, and he said no."

"Maybe it's for the best," Hotch muttered, pushing a full bowl of ice cream towards Reid. He hoped he wouldn't regret letting Reid have so much sugar before bed, like he usually did with Jack, but he had a feeling Reid wouldn't be jumping off the walls as Jack did. Or at least he hoped. Reid ignored the comment, and took the bowl of ice cream, sitting back and taking a big bite, and then grimacing, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his head. Hotch began putting ice cream into his own bowl, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You shouldn't eat so fast, it'll give you brain freeze," Hotch remarked, blandly. Reid opened his eyes, glaring at Hotch.

"Stop treating me like a kid, I can get brain freeze if I want to," Reid grumbled. Hotch began eating his ice cream, ignoring the comment, and then noticed a small smile tugging at Reid's lips, his eyes suddenly brightening.

"What is it, Spencer?" he asked, annoyed.

"Nothing," Reid muttered, focusing his attention onto his ice cream, the smile turning into a restrained grin. "It's just a little amusing to see the SAC in a tee-shirt and jeans, eating a bowl of ice cream." Hotch gave into the urge to roll his eyes. He would've expected a comment like that out of Garcia, or Morgan, but not Reid. However, instead of letting the comment pass, and trying to keep on the serious mask he always wore, he decided to give into Reid's good mood.

"Just don't tell anyone I eat ice cream. I think it would ruin the intimidating effect I have on unsubs if they knew."

At this, Reid nearly choked on a mouthful of ice cream, swallowing it before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"I guess I can't tell them you have a sense of humor either?" Reid laughed, smiling brightly as he curled into the couch.

"I don't think they would believe you if you told them," Hotch answered, smiling at Reid.

They spent another hour quipping little jokes at each other, the mood becoming lighter, and lighter, until Reid started yawning, saying he wasn't tired, that he wanted more ice cream…It made Hotch miss his son, in an odd way, and so he wasn't surprised when he stood, grabbing both empty bowls and said, "Alright, time to go to bed. Brush your teeth and wash that ice cream off your face."

Reid made a face at him, looking slightly annoyed that he was once more being treated like a kid. "It's only seven."

"And you were up late last night, and it was a long day. You need some sleep."

Reid groaned and stood, shaking his head. "Fine, I'll go to bed. See you in the morning."

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**TBC…**

**A/N: Whoa…got a little out of hand with Hotch's dad-ness, but I really couldn't help myself there. Hopefully I will be forgiven for making Hotch so…daddy-like.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N: **I know that, at this point, it would be easiest to just pair up Hotch and Reid, and call it happy, but, I'm stupid, and as much as I adore Hotch/Reid, I'm going to do things the hard way, and continue with the Morgan/Reid. My Morgan's too mean, my Hotch is too daddy-ish, and Reid…I don't even know what's going on with him anymore. I could probably just leave it as 'and they ate ice cream, and profiled serial killers, and lived happily-ever-after'. At least that way I could spare you all the pain of dragging this out, but…I won't.

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Hotch spent the following week spoiling Reid rotten, and keeping him away from Morgan. It wasn't hard to do really. Hotch found that Reid was easily entertained. Still, he went to the book store and picked out a few books Reid hadn't read, bought the entire Star Wars Trilogy, learned how to cook simple meals with corn, asparagus, and salad incorporated, and made sure there were plenty of household products Reid could concoct magic tricks with. Reid would try to help with chores around the house, but Hotch was fairly insistent on him relaxing. As for keeping Morgan away, he'd simply taken Reid's phone, on the pretense that he didn't want Reid to get calls from any universities asking him to do a lecture on his time off, and every time Morgan showed up at the house, Hotch was lucky enough to get to the door and tell him that Reid didn't want to see him before Reid even knew Morgan had come by to visit. Whenever Reid asked about Morgan, Hotch simply said he hadn't heard from him.

Of course, the nightmares had, at first, been a problem. Whenever Hotch heard Reid screaming his lungs out at night, he would run to Reid's room, with no idea what he was going to do. He couldn't get into the bed with Reid and hold him, even considering the circumstances, it still seemed inappropriate. So, he'd simply woken Reid up, and led him downstairs to the living room, and put on a movie, sitting on the couch with Reid till he fell asleep, since he had no idea of what else to do.

Haley had shown up several times with Jack, but hadn't remarked on Reid's presence, even when she walked in to find him sprawled on the couch in his pajamas, fast asleep at three in the afternoon. During Jack's visits, Reid would usually just pick up a book and go to his room to read, leaving Hotch to play with Jack, but on occasion he would join them (only when Hotch or Jack insisted). It was good to see Reid acting like, well, Reid. Seeing him sitting cross-legged on the ground, examining the toys with a scientific-type interest, and trying to appease Jack by playing whatever part Jack assigned him, and then awkwardly trying to explain to Jack that elephants don't eat giraffes, or something of the like.

With five days of vacation left, Hotch was cleaning the kitchen, getting ready for another visit from Jack and Haley, while Reid was in the living room, curled up on the couch in oversized pajamas and a big pink furry hat that he had found in the garage. He was avidly watching the original 'War of the Worlds,' and totally oblivious to the world around him. The knock on the door came just as Hotch had finished cleaning. Cleaning his hands on a dish rag, Hotch walked to the front door, putting on a smile as he opened it. Immediately, Jack leaped forward, wrapping his arms around Hotch's legs with a gleeful yelp.

"Hey, Jack!" Hotch greeted, laughing as he picked Jack up off of the ground. As he stood up straight, he noticed Haley looking at Reid, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Aaron, how about you set down Jack and let him go inside, and you come talk to me out here?" Haley suggested. Hotch nodded, and set Jack back down, laughing slightly as Jack went for the couch, sitting next to Reid and joining him in being mesmerized by the television. Hotch stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

"Aaron, may I ask why Dr. Reid's been here every time I've brought Jack over for a visit?" she asked, sounding confused, but not hostile.

"He needed a place to stay, and I had an extra room," Hotch answered, off-handedly.

"So you two aren't…together or anything?"

"What? No, God no." Hotch shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "He's…had a tough time, I'm just letting him stay here until he's better."

"Is he okay?" Haley asked, and Hotch could see genuine concern in her eyes. Which wasn't much of a surprise, the few times her and Reid had talked, they had gotten along really well.

"He's getting better."

Just then, the front door opened, and Reid appeared in the door way, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, but Jack's starting to wonder why his dad hasn't come in yet." Hotch smiled back, glancing at Haley.

"Alright, I'll see you later, Haley." Hotch walked past Reid and into the house to chat with Jack, but before Reid could follow him, Haley greeted him pleasantly.

"Hey, Dr. Reid, how have you been?"

"Oh…I've been okay." Reid's voice was light and cheery, and Haley could only smile at his bright mood.

"Well, I'll leave you boys alone. Have a nice day, Dr. Reid." As she turned, Reid smiled and waved at her.

"Okay. Bye Haley."

As Reid watched Haley drive off, simply enjoying the cool morning air, and the scent of last night's rain, he noticed a familiar car driving down the street, and he felt his heart rate speed up. He ran up to sidewalk, still wearing his pajamas and fuzzy pink hat, an excited blooming on his face as Morgan pulled up next to the curb. Morgan got out of the car, raising his eyebrows as he caught sight of Reid.

"Hey, kid…nice hat," Morgan commented, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked up. Reid pulled the hat off, blushing slightly, but still grinning.

"Uh, yeah, I found it in Hotch's garage." Reid fussed with the edge of the hat as he talked, staring at the ground. He glanced up at Morgan through his long hair, tilting his head to the side. "I know you said you didn't want to go out, but why haven't you come over to visit?" Reid asked, sticking his lower lip out in a pout. Instead of telling on Hotch, Morgan merely shrugged.

"I thought you might want some space."

"I was starting to miss you, actually," Reid replied blandly. Morgan smiled slightly, pulling his hands out of his pockets to fold his arms across his chest.

"Well, now that I'm here, maybe would could hang out?" Morgan asked, sounding hopeful. Reid smiled again, looking excited.

"Okay! I'll be out in a minute, I have to get changed and tell Hotch I'm going."

Tucking the hat under his arm, Reid walked up to the house, and as soon as he made it inside, he hurried to his room, closing the door before changing quickly, picking a long-sleeved grey button-down, brown corduroy pants, and a rather horrendous looking blue tie with green polka-dots. He stopped by the bathroom to comb down his hair before walking downstairs. As he made it back into the living room where Hotch and Jack were reading out of a big dinosaur book, Reid paused, fidgeting with his unbuttoned shirt sleeves.

"Umm…Hotch? I'm going out for a little while. I'll be back soon."

Hotch frowned, looking up from the book to scrutinize Reid. "Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to go hang out with Derek for a little while."

The frown on Hotch's face deepened, and he muttered something to Jack before standing, walking over to Reid while folding his arms across his chest. "I don't want you spending time alone with him."

"Hotch, you don't need to worry about me. We'll just go and get coffee, or something, and then I'll come right back. If anything happens, I'll come straight home, okay?" It was the first time Reid had called Hotch's house 'home,' and Hotch was momentarily shocked to hear it. He had only referred to Morgan's house that way, until now. Fighting off his stupor, Hotch shook his head, still determined to keep Reid away from Morgan.

"I'm serious, Spencer. I don't want you going out with him."

Reid's eyes narrowed, and his lips parted. He stared at Hotch for a moment, and then pursed his lips together, turning and walking down towards the door, grabbing his brown jacket as he went. "It's not a 'date,' we're just hanging out. And I appreciate everything you've done for me, but you can't keep me from seeing a friend." Reid stopped at the doorway, turning to face Hotch, who had followed him. "You can't make me stay, Hotch. I'm not a kid; I can go where I want to." Hotch looked away, his jaw tight. He thought for a moment, before looking back at Reid, his gaze intense.

"Fine. But I want you to call me if you need anything."

Reid nodded, and then turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him. He smiled as he caught sight of Morgan, leaning against his car.

"Sorry it took me so long."

"It's okay. So, where do you want to go?" Morgan asked as they both got into the car. Reid pulled on his seat belt and then shrugged.

"I could use a coffee." Morgan nodded, and drove them to the nearest coffee shop. The short drive was silent, and by the time they'd made it to the booth, Reid was fussing nervously with his shirt, avoiding eye contact.

"So, um…Derek, how have you…how have you been?" Reid asked, staring down at his coffee. Morgan shrugged, watching Reid carefully as he took a drink.

"I've been better. I still feel like shit over how I treated you." Reid looked up, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Please, Derek, I don't want you to feel guilty about that anymore." It was hard to say no to those big, sad eyes, but it was harder for Morgan to forgive himself. He shook his head, looking out the window.

"Kid, you don't understand. I've always just wanted to help people, after…what happened. It was the worst feeling in the world when I realized what I had done to you. I can't just get over that."

Reid pursed his lips, and waited for Morgan to look at him before he spoke, sounding determined and stubborn all at once. "It was just as much my fault, as it was yours. And, I'm not going to be happy until you forgive yourself. Also, if it's okay with you, I'd like to buy you dinner sometime."

Morgan let out a sigh, rubbing hand over his face. "God, you are insistent."

"I didn't say it had to be a date…but I'd really like to buy you dinner."

"Okay." Morgan paused, looking out the window again. "But it can't be a date. Just dinner." Reid nodded, smiling.

"Sounds good. I'll pick you up…does tomorrow sound good? Around six?" Reid asked. Morgan actually smiled and chuckled slightly at Reid's enthusiasm.

"Sounds good, kid. But I'm serious, don't try to make it a date."

"So I probably shouldn't wear a skimpy dress and overbearing perfume?" At that, Morgan burst out in laughter, holding his stomach.

"No, you probably shouldn't. What happened to not comparing you to a girl?"

Reid rolled his eyes, relaxing now that the mood had lightened. He sat back in his seat, and took another drink of coffee before answering. "I was just joking, I don't even own a dress. I could probably find one in Hotch's garage, if I looked hard enough."

"That's…just weird. If Hotch has ever worn I dress, I think I'd rather not know about it."

They finished their coffee, and talked for awhile, and then Morgan drove Reid back to Hotch's. As Reid got out of the car, Morgan rolled down his window.

"So, you'll pick me up tomorrow at six?" Reid couldn't help but grin like a loon and nod.

"Yup."

"Alright, I'll see you then."

Morgan drove off, and Reid headed to the house. It was a little late and a little chilly outside, so he hugged his jacket to himself as he walked to the door, taking out his house key. As he walked inside, he was greeted with a calm stillness, a sure sign that Haley had already taken Jack home. Reid silently hung up his coat and took off his shoes, walking through the quiet house. He found Hotch sitting on the couch in the living room, watching '2001: A Space Odyssey,' while drinking scotch. From his slouched posture, and vacant look, it was obvious he had more than a couple drinks. Reid swallowed, and called out from the entryway, using a cheery voice.

"Umm…hey Hotch, I'm home!"

Hotch glanced up from the movie, raising an eyebrow. "It's a little late," he commented dryly. Reid fussed with his tie, shrugging as he scrutinized the ground.

"We had a lot to talk about. I'm going to…meet him tomorrow for dinner." Reid glanced up at Hotch, looking hopeful, but Hotch just frowned, shaking his head.

"I don't think you should. Why don't you come sit down so we can talk about this?" Reid obeyed, falling back onto the couch, leaving a cushion between himself and Hotch, like he normally did. "Where did he say he'd take you for dinner?"

"Actually, I'm…um, taking him somewhere for dinner. It was my idea. There's a restaurant I've wanted to go to…I thought I'd take him there. It's not a date, I swear. We're just getting dinner." Hotch took a swallow of his drink, and then ran a hand over his face, looking older than he actually was.

"And there's nothing I can do to change your mind?"

"Nope."

"Then I won't argue with you. I'll just lose anyway." Reid smiled slightly, and took Hotch's glass away from him before he could take another drink, standing to take it into the kitchen. "I wasn't finished with that, Spencer."

"I know, but I'd feel really bad if you became an alcoholic because I'm insufferable." Reid didn't wait for a comment, and simply took the drink to the kitchen, pouring it down the drain.

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**TBC….**

**A/N: Yeah, it's just getting worse and worse, but I can't stop. Bleh.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N: **Only a couple chapters left of this, so just hang in there, and it'll be over soon.

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As Reid came down the stairs, wearing a red button-down, grey tie, black vest and pinstriped black pants, he couldn't help feeling a little ridiculous over his own sudden bout of nerves. No matter how many times he chanted the mantra, 'it isn't a date,' it didn't seem to calm him down. He had showered, combed his hair, the ends curling up around his jaw-line, and then spent twenty minutes picking out a shirt so he could have dinner, with a friend and co-worker. That's all it was.

Reid stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and then turned and went into the living room, where Hotch was going through a file, probably a consult he'd agreed to do for the police.

"I'm going to go now. I'll…um, see you later, okay?"

Hotch merely nodded as he flicked through the pages, but Reid noticed the way his jaw tightened, and knew that Hotch still didn't want him to go. Reid glanced at the clock, and figured he still had a little time before he had to go and get Morgan, so, taking a deep breath, Reid sat down next to Hotch, looking at him until Hotch took his eyes away from the page to meet his gaze.

"Hotch, it's going to be fine. I'm a lot more in control of myself than I was before, thanks to you. So could you please stop acting like you're sending me to my death?" Hotch huffed a laugh, and looked away, but relaxed slightly.

"I can't help it. I feel like I failed you before, that I should have protected you, from Green and Morgan. I knew something was quite right, more than a month ago. You had lost weight, and you looked tired all of the time, but I didn't do anything about it." Hotch paused, taking in a deep breath, and then letting it out through his nose. "I know that you can take care of yourself, Spencer. But the fact remains that I made a mistake before-"

"There's no way you could have known what was going on," Reid interrupted.

"No, but I did know something was wrong, and not just this time. I knew you were struggling with drugs, after Henkel, but I didn't do anything then either. I'm supposed to take care of my team, but I keep letting you down, and you're not the first person I've let down…I'm just glad you're stronger than Elle, or Gideon."

Reid felt his face go warm at the complement, and for a moment, he couldn't reply. "I-I'm not…" he muttered, looking away.

"Even after everything you've went through, you're still here, on the team. You stayed, when they couldn't."

"Where else would I go?" Reid asked, letting out a bitter laugh, before looking back at Hotch.

"You didn't fail Elle or Gideon. I…was close to them…I think, maybe it was best for them, to move on." Hotch frowned, but then nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you're right," Hotch muttered. He took a deep breath, and then glanced at the clock, smiling slightly. "You'd better get going, or you're going to be late picking him up."

Reid smiled, and stood, walking to the door. As he began to walk out, Hotch called after him, "It's cold outside, put on a coat!" Rolling his eyes, Reid grabbed his coat, and then rushed out the door, going to his car. He didn't use the old Volvo often, as he usually stayed home, or got a ride from Hotch, and had to check the fuel gauge to make sure he had enough gas before going.

Once he pulled into Morgan's driveway, he paused, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "It's not a date, so stop being nervous. If he notices how nervous you are, he'll call it off, so just knock it off!" he muttered to himself. Once he was finished with his little pep-talk, Reid got out of the car, and walked up to Morgan's door, pushing his hair behind his ears. When the door opened, Reid smiled brightly at Morgan.

"Hey!" Reid greeted, forcing the nervousness to stay out of his voice. Morgan wasn't quite as dressed up as Reid, wearing a button-down shirt, and jeans, but looking good nonetheless. Morgan scrutinized him momentarily, but he smiled, and there was affection in his eyes.

"Someone looks happy," Morgan commented. Reid simply shrugged, and turned to go to the car.

"I've been cooped up in Hotch's house for the last few days. I'm glad to get out." He didn't mention how happy it made him that he was allowed to spend time with Morgan again, figuring Morgan already knew, and didn't want to hear it. "So…you ready to go?" Reid asked, motioning to the car. Morgan nodded, and they both went to the car.

As they got in, Morgan asked, "So, what's it like living with Hotch?" Reid chuckled as he started the car, thinking over the past week.

"It's been…interesting," Reid said, keeping his explanation vague. He began driving towards the restaurant; it was a casual, but nice place, with booths, good food and cheesy pictures of old stars and singers to give it a comfortable, old-American feel.

"What do you mean by interesting?" Morgan asked, sounding curious. Reid shrugged as he drove, and glanced over when he came to a stop at a red light, and found Morgan looking at him intently, obviously expecting a little more elaboration.

"Well…I guess it's relaxing there. He doesn't let me help around the house, so I've been catching up on my reading, and we watch a lot of movies. I think Hotch is finally starting to appreciate Science-Fiction, I caught him watching '2001: A Space Odyssey' without me the other day. Also, he buys me a lot of junk food. I've eaten way more ice cream than what is healthy this past week."

Morgan let out a 'hmmph' and turned to look out his window. "So, he's basically been spoiling you?"

"I guess so," Reid admitted, pulling into the parking lot. He found an empty parking space and pulled into it, turning off the ignition and taking out the key. As they got out, Morgan walked behind the car, looking over at the street with a faraway look.

"Well, someone should be spoiling you."

Reid rolled his eyes, and started walking to the restaurant door, knowing Morgan would come out of his daze and follow him. When they walked in, a waitress directed them to their table, and gave them their menus, smiling brightly at Reid. They both ordered before settling into light conversation, talking about anything that didn't involve serial killers, prostitutes, or work in general. For the most part, Reid managed to get Morgan to talk about his experiences in college, and smiled as Morgan relaxed, even as the waitress flirted shamelessly with Reid every time she came to the table. By the time the food was done, and the waitress brought out the tab, the atmosphere was light and jovial.

"Here, Reid, let me get that," Morgan offered, reaching for his wallet. Reid shook his head, pulling a couple bills from his wallet.

"No, I said I was buying you dinner, and I meant it." He paid the bill, and then left a tip, and they got up and walked out of the restaurant, Morgan putting an arm over Reid's shoulders.

"I had a good time, kid. Thanks for making me come to dinner with you."

Reid grinned, and then nearly tripped over the sidewalk. He only managed to avoid falling on his face because Morgan caught him. Instead of blushing, and getting embarrassed like he normally would, Reid couldn't help but laugh, leaning against Morgan.

"What's so funny, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked, cracking a grin.

"I almost fell on my face. I'm pretty sure mainstream society sees that as funny."

"You could've hurt yourself."

"Actually, falling from this height, I would probably end up with nothing worse than-"

"Reid, just be more careful, okay? You have tendency to not look where you're going and trip over things."

"Fine, I'll try to be more attentive while walking." Reid suddenly realized he was still leaning against Morgan, and Morgan still had his arms around him. Remembering that he had agreed that this wouldn't be a date, Reid stepped away, blushing and staring at the ground. He fished his car keys out of his pocket, and walked to the car, fiddling nervously with the keys, and nearly dropping them as he unlocked the door. Morgan walked up next to him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Spencer, what's wrong?"

Reid ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry…I just really wanted to do this right."

"I don't see what makes you think you did it wrong."

Reid shrugged, and crawled into the driver's seat, leaning over to unlock the passenger side. As Morgan sat down, Reid glanced over and found Morgan watching him. Reid swallowed and started the car, pulling out of the parking lot and heading for Morgan's place. "Maybe I'm just worrying over nothing…I just don't want to wreck our friendship. I really have not social etiquette."

"You won't wreck our friendship. I still care about you, and nothing's going to change that."

"Okay…" He pulled into Morgan's driveway, and offered a small smile. "We should…do this again?" His tone was light and hopeful, and Morgan returned the smile.

"Sure, kid. You want to come inside before you head back to Hotch's?" Morgan asked. Yelling, 'hell yes!' and jumping out of the car seemed like it might be a little too enthusiastic, so Reid just nodded and got out, turning off the car and pocketing the keys as he walked to the door with Morgan. He went and sat on Morgan's couch, while Morgan went to the kitchen, before bringing out two glasses of water. Handing one to Reid, he sat down next to him on the couch.

Reid took a drink, and then stared at the glass, turning it and watching as the water distorted the images on the other side. When he felt Morgan's hand on his shoulder, a gentle, friendly gesture, he looked up and smiled.

"You look better…you look good, Spencer. It's good to see you like this."

Reid tilted his head to the side, his smile fading slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You don't look so…tired. It's like you've actually been getting sleep." Morgan let his hand slip from Reid's shoulder, and Reid couldn't stop the small sad noise from coming up from his throat at the loss of contact.

"Working with the BAU isn't exactly conductive to a normal sleep routine. I'm not the only one on the team who doesn't get enough sleep."

"Yeah, but it shows on you more. You're too young to be working so hard."

Reid rolled his eyes, and put his cup down, settling on the couch. "I know you're just saying that because you care, but I wish you wouldn't. I'm just as capable as the rest of the team, even if I am a couple years younger than the rest of you."

"I never said you weren't capable, kiddo. No one can do the things you do with that big brain of yours. You're amazing." At that, Reid couldn't help but smile, leaning towards Morgan slightly, but not making contact. Morgan seemed to notice Reid's for contact, because he put an arm around Reid's shoulders, and hugged him lightly, letting Reid put his head on his shoulder. They sat like this in silence for a few minutes, comfortable, before Reid pulled away, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"I should…um, get going…so Hotch doesn't get worried," he said in a small voice, standing up. Morgan nodded, and stood up, suddenly looking nervous and awkward as he walked Reid to the door.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Reid nodded and turned before walking out the door. Not really thinking, he leaned forward to kiss Morgan on the cheek, before turning back around, sticking his hands into his pockets. He was about to walk away, when Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Reid…" Morgan began. Reid bit his lips together, figuring he must have pushed too much if Morgan had suddenly switched to using last names again. However, instead of the reprimand Reid expected, Morgan just squeezed his shoulder, almost reassuringly. "I care about you…but I still don't think it's a good idea for us to be together…"

"I know. I'm sorry…"

Reid walked out of the house, feeling just a little miserable, not waiting for a further comment, and got into his car and drove back to Hotch's, leaving the radio off in favor of silence. He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking, except that one minute he'd been focused on keeping things platonic, to avoid scaring Morgan away, and the next he'd simply given in to the impulse to kiss him.

As Reid walked in through the front door of Hotch's house, he hung up his jacket and took off his shoes, heading solemnly for his room. Hotch stopped him in the hallway, coming out of his own room, and looking worried.

"How'd it go?" Hotch asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Reid shrugged, and looked up, forcing a smile.

"It went well, really well. The waitress kept flirting with me, but other than that it was nice." Hotch relaxed, but his eyebrows shot up.

"Did you get her number?"

"Wha-no….I wouldn't…wouldn't try to pick up a date while having dinner with Morgan…" Reid said, blushing slightly. Hotch smiled slightly, but it was a sort of sad, knowing smile.

"Alright. You should get to bed, it's kind of late."

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**TBC…**

**A/N: Hmmm…I feel like the only interesting part was Hotch and Reid's conversation at the beginning. Oh well. The next chapter will be awhile, maybe a week. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds, Mel Brooks, or 'A History of the World'.

**A/N: **Just about done, this will be the last chapter, but there might be an epilogue to follow. I'd like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this miraculously bad piece of crack. It started out as a bit of a joke, resulting from boredom and an idea generator, and turned into *waves at story* this. I got carried away, lost characterization, and used poor Reid as an emotional punching bag, and you still supported me. Thank you so much. I still think I should be beaten senseless for writing something thing out there, but oh well.

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Hotch walked down the hallway, but stopped as he passed the open bathroom door. He back-tracked, and couldn't help but smile as Reid stared into the mirror, his lips slightly parted as he combed his hair with his fingers, and then smoothing it into place, eyeing himself dubiously.

"You have a date tonight?" He asked. Reid jumped, turning away from the mirror and blushing. He pushed the slightly curled strands of hair behind his ears, shaking his head.

"No…just a movie…with, um, Derek." He seemed nervous, as if unsure of how Hotch would react to him 'not' going out on a date with Morgan.

"Which movie?"

"Oh, umm…they're showing an older movie; Mel Brooks' 'A History of the World.' It was actually narrated by Orson Wells, who also narrated the radio broadcast of H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds.' Did you know that at the time it was broadcasted people thought it was an actual alien invasion? Many people fled their homes and-"

"I get it, Spencer," Hotch cut in, but he couldn't help but smile. It was good to see Reid getting bouncy and excited, using his hands to gesture while an unconscious smile tugging at his lips while he spoke. "When's the movie?"

"Derek's picking me up in about half an hour."

"And you're doing your hair an hour in advance, but you're not going out on a date." It wasn't a question, but a blunt, sarcastic statement, and Reid couldn't stop the blush that ascended onto his face, even heating his ears up. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but didn't seem to find any words appropriate, so he simply pressed his lips together, and walked briskly out of the bathroom, heading to his room. Hotch let out a sigh, and followed him. He found Reid face down on the bed, his face in a pillow, and his hair in disarray.

"Spencer, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make fun of you," Hotch soothed, not really sure how to handle the situation. His son still thought that girls were icky, and ate worms, so he hadn't really had to deal with any forms of romantic drama, save his own divorce.

"I know…" Reid mumbled into the pillow. He turned his head to Hotch, strands of hair falling in front of his face. "But it's really not a date, Hotch. Derek doesn't…he said he cares about me, but he doesn't want to…you know, be with me. Which I understand," Reid turned his face into the pillow. "I wouldn't want to date me either…" The last part was so muffled, Hotch almost didn't hear it. However, once he realized what Reid had said, he took a sharp inhalation of breath.

"Spencer, don't talk about yourself that way. Morgan's just trying to do what is right."

"I don't want to hear it Hotch!" Reid yelled into the pillow. Hotch put his hand up to his face, rubbing his temple. Reid turned his head again so Hotch could hear him. "I'm tired of you telling me I shouldn't be with him."

"I just don't understand why you want to be with him."

"He was good to me, despite what you saw…we had just had a fight...I keep telling you, it's not his fault." Reid sat up, glaring at Hotch as he pushed his hair from his face. "He told me he loved me," Reid added in a hushed voice, looking away. Hotch put a hand on Reid's shoulder, his expression grim as he studied the young man.

"Spencer, whether or not it was his fault, the fact is that you two are no longer in a relationship. He might have loved you, but most likely, he was just saying what he thought you wanted to hear. It's over now, and he doesn't want a relationship with you any longer," Hotch said, slowly. He watched Reid as he processed the blunt statement, his jaw dropping slightly. He swallowed, and looked away from Hotch, getting to his feet. His voice cracked as he spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Thanks, Hotch, that really helped, you know."

"I know it's not what you wanted to hear, Spencer, but it's true. You need to move on, and get past what Morgan and Green did to you."

Reid shook his head, and walked out of the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm going to go downstairs. Derek will be here soon." As he walked, he ran his fingers through his tousled hair, smoothing it back into place.

"Okay, have fun at the movies."

Reid ignored Hotch, and continued down the hallway, hurrying down the stairs. He pulled on a jacket, and then stood by the door, pacing as he waited. When Morgan finally knocked on the door, Reid took a deep breath, and waited for a second before opening the door, forcing a smile onto his face as he briskly walked out to join Morgan in the cool, early evening air.

"Hey, thanks for picking me up," Reid said sheepishly as he walked with Morgan to the car. Morgan frowned slightly concern showing up on his face.

"You okay, Reid? You seem upset."

"I'm good," Reid answered quickly, jumping into the passenger seat. Morgan got in, looking unconvinced. "Have you ever seen 'A History of the World'?" Reid asked, quickly changing the subject, enthusiasm seeping into his voice. Morgan shook his head.

"No, but everyone was telling me I should see it, and it's playing, so I thought we'd go," he answered off-handedly.

"I think you'll like it," Reid said, his smile turning more genuine. Morgan returned the smile as he began driving.

"If you say so, Pretty Boy," Morgan laughed.

They got to the movie theatre, and picked seats near the back. Just as Reid had said, Morgan enjoyed the movie, and they ended up moving the arm rest between them, so Morgan could put an arm around Reid's shoulders, and Reid could curl up against the side of Morgan's body. As the credits rolled, Morgan was still chuckling, and Reid couldn't help but grin slightly, shifting to look at Morgan.

"I told you you'd like it."

"Alright, you win. It was great, way better than some of those old Sci-Fi movies you made me watch." Reid made a face that was somewhere between confused and annoyed.

"I hope you're not trying to imply that 'those old Sci-Fi' movies weren't great."

"Of course not," Morgan chuckled, nuzzling Reid's hair. The credits finished rolling, so Morgan retrieved his arm, standing up and stretching. Reid stretched in his chair before standing up, trying to glare at him as best as he could, hindered by a small smile. As they walked out, Reid was surprised when Morgan took his hand, entwining their fingers together. They walked out the back exit, and Reid couldn't suppress a shiver as the cold air hit him, and he instinctively huddled closer to Morgan, using his free hand to pull his jacket to his body. They walked behind the theatre, heading towards a small park. Reid tilted his head upward, smiling serenely at the sight of the night sky, lightly sprinkled with stars.

"God, you're too cute, you know that, kid?" Morgan said suddenly, causing heat to rise to Reid's face.

"Don't...I mean, no," Reid stuttered, lowering his gaze to the ground. Morgan shook his head, and they stopped walking, Morgan turning to face Reid.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay, it's just that I still wish things had been different, you know…" Reid looked up, and bit both of his lips together when he found Morgan frowning at him, looking disappointed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Pretty Boy," Morgan said, using his free hand to brush Reid's hair out of his face. "Trust me, I feel the same way."

"Then why-" Reid began before Morgan cut him off.

"You know why. It's just a bad idea for us to be together."

"It'll be better this time…Derek, I'll be better," Reid whispered, leaning forward slightly. Morgan hesitated, but then released Reid's hand, burying it in Reid's hair as he leaned forward, kissing Reid chastely on the lips.

"It wasn't your fault, you were so perfect, Spencer. Still are." Reid smiled slightly, pulling back.

"So…." Reid let his voice trail off, and Morgan chuckled.

"Okay, okay…we'll try again. But you're staying with Hotch, and we're going to go slowly. Okay?"

"Sounds good. Is it too soon to say I love you?" Reid asked nervously, burying his face into Morgan's neck.

"No, it's never too soon for that." Reid smiled against Morgan's neck, closing his eyes and leaning against Morgan, relaxing as Morgan put both of his arms around him.

"I love you," Reid whispered.

"I love you too, Spencer."

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**A/N: Just an epilogue to follow. This chapter was…kinda cheesy, not going to lie. Stroll in the park, cliché cheesy remarks…Please review.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Criminal Minds

**A/N: This is the last little piece. Forewarning: Hotch/OFC mentioned…Supposed to be an epilogue, but it's more of a random end chapter.**

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_Fourteen Months Later_

Reid walked up to his apartment door, a small smile creeping up onto his face. As the doorbell rang once more, Reid unlocked the door, laughing slightly as he opened it.

"You could be more patient, you know," he teasingly chastised, grinning. Morgan just rolled his eyes, putting his arm around Reid's shoulders and leading him out of the apartment.

"That coming from the kid who gets twitchy if he has to wait for me to make popcorn before watching a movie?" Reid batted Morgan's arm away, giving him a mock glare.

"You take, like, ten minutes to make popcorn!"

"Whatever. Come on, if we don't hurry to Hotch's, all the snacks will be gone before we get there."

They walked down the stairs of the apartment, occasionally stopping for a kiss, before walking out of the lobby, and into the parking lot.

"Let's take my car," Reid suggested, heading towards the old Volvo. Morgan shook his head, letting out a sigh.

"That's a traffic accident waiting to happen," Morgan muttered, but he got into the passenger seat anyway. Reid started the car, smiling as the engine started.

"Derek, I've had this car for years, and it hasn't failed me yet. Not to mention, I'm a good driver." Reid ignored Morgan's snort as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Most traffic accidents aren't caused by car malfunctions, but by driver errors."

"I'm sure you have the exact numbers for that."

"I do, but let's stop talking about that. Any word as to why Hotch is having a barbeque?"

"Nope. Probably something to do with his hot girlfriend"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just call Ashley hot."

"Whatever. I'm just saying, it's been almost a year. He really ought to get that girl a ring."

Reid frowned, but kept his eyes on the road. "It's been a year, exactly, I think. And it's been longer for us," he observed, raising an eyebrow. Morgan blinked in surprise.

"Well, yeah…are you say-"

"No, I'm just saying you shouldn't put pressure on Hotch to marry Ashley. You know how hard his divorce with Haley was. Give him some time."

They were quiet for the rest of the ride, pulling up along the curb, as the driveway was fully occupied. The two got out of the car, smiling as they approached the others. Hotch stood in front of the grill, a dark-haired woman in her late-thirties standing next to him, smiling. Rossi was leaning against the wooden railing, a glass of beer in hand. Prentiss, JJ and Garcia were on the lawn with Jack, talking to Haley while holding various colored smoothies. As Morgan and Reid walked up, the girls turned, grinning at them.

"Well, hello there, my beautiful men," Garcia greeted, walking up and giving them both a hug. "Mmmm, someone smells good, what kind of cologne are you wearing?" Garcia asked as she let go of Reid. Reid smiled and blushed at the complement, unconsciously stepping closer to Morgan.

"Ummm…I don't know, it was Morgan's," Reid muttered. The other girls laughed, and Rossi walked up, slapping Reid on the shoulder.

"Hey, kid, how are you? You were practically falling asleep at the office today."

"Good. I was just tired. Coffee machine was broken."

The small group continued with the amiable, light conversation, laughing, smiling. Whatever tension or strain that had existed in the past year was no longer present. As the next two hours passed, Jack and Haley left, the light died down, and the rest of the party retired to the lawn furniture, eating steak and burgers. Hotch and Ashley sat on the outdoor couch, comfortable in their closeness. The girls had take various lawn chairs from the lawn and set them on the porch. Rossi was in a wicker chair, smiling, and a little drunk. Reid and Morgan had curled up on the swinging couch, curled up against one another. After a while of slow, comfortable conversation, Morgan asked the question everyone was dying to have answered.

"Alright, Hotch. Why'd you bring us all out here?"

"Well, I enjoy your company," Hotch joked dryly, taking a drink of his beer. Ashley rolled her eyes, smacking Hotch on the arm.

"Just tell them, Aaron," she laughed, grinning at Hotch. He smiled, something the team had noticed him doing a lot more often lately.

"Alright." Hotch looked back at the team. "Me and Ashley are getting engaged."

Garcia let out a squeal of delight, and immediately got up, running over to hug both Hotch and Ashley.

"It's about time, you two love birds!" Garcia pulled back, looking abashed by the stern look Hotch gave her. "I mean, um, about time sir." Everyone laughed, even Hotch. Garcia grinned brightly, before asking, "When's the wedding?"

"We're not sure yet. We're going to wait, maybe a year," Ashley answered, leaning against Hotch and smiling.

Morgan leaned over to Reid, whispering into his ear, "I told you, Pretty Boy."

Reid rolled his eyes. "You've been waiting to say that since you saw her ring, haven't you," Reid asked, raising his eyebrows as he glanced over at Morgan.

"Yup."

Later, after Reid and Morgan had said their congratulations to Hotch and Ashley, headed out to their car. Reid got in, a contemplative look on his face. Morgan caught it, and as Reid started back towards his apartment, he put a hand on Reid's shoulder, concern in his eyes. "Everything okay?" he asked gently.

"Hmm? Oh, um, yeah. Everything's okay," Reid answered, glancing over and smiling before returning his eyes to the road. He pulled into the parking lot of his apartment a few minutes later, turning off the ignition. He clicked off his seat belt and got out of the car. Morgan followed him out of the car, and they walked up into the building, going up one flight of stairs to get to Reid's apartment. As Reid pulled his keys out of his pocket, Morgan pushed strands of his hair away from the back of his neck, tenderly kissing the skin there.

"You know I would marry you in a heartbeat if I could," Morgan whispered against the back of Reid's neck. Reid paused before pushing the key into the lock and opening the door. He walked in, Morgan following closely, and he turned and closed the door behind them once they were inside. Putting his arms around Morgan's neck, moving so their faces were close, their lips touching.

"I know that. D.C. allows gay marriage. Maybe when we've retired from the Bureau…"

"D.C? Pretty Boy, you know that once we've retired I'm taking you somewhere nice. Washington and California both-" Reid laughed against Morgan's lips.

"Okay, I get it, Derek. I love you too." Reid let go of Morgan, turned and walked the rest of the way into the tiny apartment, heading towards the adjoining kitchen.

"I'm going to get some wine out. You want some?" Reid asked, glancing over his shoulder at Morgan as the older man sat onto the threadbare couch.

"Sure," Morgan answered, looking around the small living room. There wasn't even enough room for a bookshelf, and Reid had left most of his books at Hotch's, and transferred the rest to Morgan's house. Whenever Morgan came over, he was half tempted to ask Reid to move back in with him, but promptly decided against him before asking. Reid came back with two glasses of red wine, a small box tucked under his arm, and a small smile on his lips. He handed one glass to Morgan before sitting down, and taking a sip off of his own glass.

"It's Cabernet Franc," Reid said, pulling out the box and opening it. "The guy at the store said it went well with milk chocolate."

Morgan couldn't help but grin, putting an arm around Reid's shoulders. "You getting all romantic on me, Pretty Boy?" Reid blushed, taking out a piece of chocolate, and taking a bite as he looked down at the floor.

"I…you usually do all of the romantic things. You take me out to dinner, rub my feet…stuff like that. You don't need to prove that you love me, but you still do. I want to show you that I love you too. I figured, you know, it's been a long week, we should have some wine, make out, go to bed, and in the morning we could head to your place." Morgan chuckled and took a piece of chocolate, taking a bite, watching as Reid took a slow sip of wine, licking his lips after he had swallowed. Morgan set his glass of wine down, pushing Reid's hair from his forehead, stroking a finger down his cheek.

"That sounds like a good plan." Morgan leaned over, kissing Reid on the lips. Reid responded eagerly, setting his glass of wine down, and weaving his arms around Morgan's neck, shifting to sit in Morgan's lap. A good three minutes later, after kissing, tasting, and light touches, Reid pulled back, a light blush spreading across his cheeks as he shifted out of Morgan's lap. As he moved, the pink in his cheeks turned to bright red.

"Pretty Boy…?" Morgan started, confusion and worry written on his face. Reid pulled his knees up to his chest, biting his lip.

"Hm?"

"Everything okay?"

"Ummm…yeah. Everything's fine."

"You're blushing like a school girl."

Reid turned to Morgan, glaring at him, his face reddening further. "What happened to not comparing me to a girl?" he snapped.

"It's just an expression, Spencer. Now come on, talk to me. What just happened to make you turn red like that?" Reid shifted uncomfortably, turning his glare to the floor.

"I…just got a little too excited, that's all."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

Morgan let out a sigh, putting his arm around Reid's shoulders. "Well, at least you didn't run and lock yourself in the bathroom this time."

"That only happened once!" Reid snuggled against Morgan, his lower lip stuck out in a pout. "You really don't need to make fun of me for it."

"I wasn't. I'm just saying that, maybe you're not dealing with 'it' in the right way."

Reid's blush, which had receded slightly, returned in full force, but he looked up at Morgan, his brows coming together. "Well, maybe if you weren't so reluctant to touch me-"

"You know that's not what it's about. I just don't want to rush it this time."

"We've been dating for over a year. At this point, I don't think anyone would accuse you of rushing things."

Morgan's eyebrows went up in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Spence, are you suggesting-"

Reid leaned in for a kiss to quiet Morgan, a shy smile on his lips. "Yes. I think you've proved that you're willing to wait for me. At this point, I think I'm the one waiting, so if you're comfortable with it, I think we should-" Reid was silenced by Morgan's mouth, and was lifted off of the couch, and then carried to the bedroom.

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"Wow…."

Reid managed a small noise of acknowledgement, rolling his head to the side to look at Morgan with a small smile and half-closed eyes. "That's one way of putting it."

"I didn't know you got so…loud."

"Sorry…"

"Don't apologize." Morgan chuckled, and kissed Reid's forehead, before getting up. He went into the bathroom, cleaning himself up before grabbing a wet washrag and taking it into the other room. He then went to the bedroom, and carefully wiped the washcloth across Reid's body, before tossing it into the hamper and settling next to Reid on the bed. Reid curled up against him, pressing his lips to Morgan's neck. Suddenly the phone rang, and Reid groaned, rolling over and grabbing it off of the nightstand.

"God, this had better not be a case…" Reid muttered before putting the phone to his ear. "Hello…? Hotch…what do you want?" Reid sounded annoyed, and Morgan resisted the urge to chuckle. "No, everything's fine. Just trying to enjoy my night off. You should try to do the same….okay, mom, see you on Monday." Reid hung up the phone, rolling back over to snuggle against Morgan once more. "When I first moved in here, I understood him calling and checking up on me…but I think it's about time he stops. God, it's the middle of the night and he's calling to make sure I got home okay…" Reid yawned, and when it looked like he was going to continue his rant, Morgan kissed him quickly to quiet him.

"I know, Pretty Boy. He just worries about you, that's all."

"He should stop worrying…" Another yawn, and Morgan laughed slightly.

"Okay, enough talking, it's late, and you need to get some sleep." Reid murmured sleepily in response, nodding against Morgan's chest.

"Mmm…okay. Night, love you."

"Love you too."

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**THE END**

**A/N: Okay, yes, it's over now. No more, sorry. Kind of a lame way to end it. Oh well. I will be writing other stories, as soon as I get past my Writer's Block. **


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